Malevolence
by TheColorsofSand
Summary: Danny is handling his senior year pretty well- but quickly approaching his fifth year as a ghost, he's maturing fast. Great, save for the haunting nightmares and confusing need to visit a place he's sure he's never been before. The only way to get to the bottom of the mystery may be the worst possible fate- a minimum wage job...
1. Every Night

Disclaimer: I don't own either of these particular universes- I just have nothing better to do with my life.

Malevolence

Chapter 1- Every Night

by: TheColorsofSand

The choking claustrophobia and cloying, rancid smell cut off all his air. He couldn't breathe. And yet, somehow, the observation caused no panic, no fear. He hurt all over, but his arm and shoulder throbbed in a constant and consuming ache. And yet, the pain was merely fact. Music, constant as the pain, drifted through his shuttered mind, poured into it like water. It didn't mean anything. It didn't mean anything and yet there it was.

Over

and over

and over

again.

He was himself, and yet he wasn't. Not anymore. The longer he was wrapped in the suffocating darkness the more his horrific prison had become his home. The smell was fact, the darkness, the pain, the vacuum. All nothing but fact. No need to fear, not anymore, because he no longer needed to draw breath. The pain no longer slowed him. In the darkness, somehow, he could see. He felt sick, but that didn't seem to matter either- there wasn't any room in his cramped prison for feeling. There was only room for one thing now-

Open the door

Open the door

We know where you are

We know where you are

We know where you are

We know who you are

Knock-knock, who's there?

_It's me_.

It's six am.

Danny struggled awake- blankets and sheets wrapped around him, tangled in his arms and legs. His shoulder ached, as though he'd over extended it. The smell still choked him. But the dream was fading faster than he could reconstruct it. It took him a moment to realize that he was not being strangled. He didn't have to look at the clock to know that it would be exactly six o'clock in the morning. For a solid week the disturbing nightmares had woken him at exactly six. Like they were on some kind of schedule. And now, so was he.

God he was tired. He couldn't think of why. After the whole 'Armageddon' scenario, things had actually calmed down quite a bit. He'd earned enough respect that most ghosts considered Amity Park his territory, and gave it a wide berth. Those that didn't have much respect learned pretty quickly. And the whole town knowing his secret identity had made life that much easier. There were no more lies, no more excuses, no more hiding. And despite a solid six weeks of dodging mobs of 'phans' he became old news really fast. Life wasn't perfect, but it was as close as he could count on.

The dreams were throwing a giant wrench into the whole thing. It was like going back to his freshman year, falling asleep in his English class, handing in only half-finished homework in his math class, and drawing looks from both teachers and class mates when they noticed his condition. He'd thought up a few good excuses for his parents, but pretty soon his mother was going to figure out that something was wrong. And then he'd have to come clean about the whole thing.

He had the strangest feeling that he didn't want to do that. He absolutely did not want to do that.

The sudden sound of the smoke detector finished what the nightmare started. Danny fell out of bed, sheets constraining his ankles. He was certainly awake now.

"Danny, Jazz, breakfast is ready!" His father called above the screeching of the smoke alarm. Danny sighed heavily and let his head hit the floor. It was little wonder he became some kind of superhero- the stress of his everyday life was the perfect basis for dealing with a crisis.

Danny untangled himself and made his way downstairs to the smoke detector right outside of the kitchen. Jack Fenton was busy struggling with a smoking waffle iron. Finding nothing handy to fan away the smoke with, he saved time by freezing the device solid. The awful noise ceased at last.

"Daniel James! You'll break that thing, and then what will we do it there really is a fire?" He jumped a little at the sound of his mother's voice just behind him. She gave him a little glare, a square section of cardboard in her hand. Exactly what he had been looking for.

"Mom, I think I'd rather die in a fire than have this thing as my alarm clock." He said, snatching the frozen cover off and prying out the battery. She gave him another look, but seemed to feel it was Jack that needed the most supervision. Danny followed suit, opening the kitchen windows while his parents pried bits of burnt waffle off the smoking appliance.

"So we're having waffles?" A sleepy voice asked. Jazz stood at the bottom of the stairs, still in her green pajamas dotted with little sleepy basset hounds.

"What gave it away?"

He'd been whistling the same tune for about three days now, and it was starting to get on Sam's nerves. Danny never whistled, or at least he did very rarely, and normally she wouldn't care what song was stuck in her boyfriend's head. But after three days, the novelty was wearing.

"Did you know that you've been whistling that since Wednesday?" She asked. Danny gave her a funny look out of the corner of his eye. He'd forgone lunch again and instead spent the time with his head in one hand and his eyes closed, half asleep.

"It's been stuck in my head sin(e Monday. I've been trying to remember where I heard it."

"It's from an opera." Tucker supplied through a mouthful of what the cafeteria called 'tuna salad'. Both Danny and Sam gave him a mild look. "What? I know stuff." He continued. "From Carmen. I don't know what it's about or any thing, I just read it somewhere." Danny shrugged.

"Well, I didn't go see any opera recently." He replied with just the slightest bit of sarcasm. His wit wasn't quite as sharp as usual-and his slight smile not as bright. He looked tired and worn- like thread-bare clothing. His face seemed even paler than usual, and both his friends had noticed his fuse was growing shorter and shorter.

"Are you doing alright? You look tired." San said as casually as possible. Tucker didn't dare breach the subject- but girlfriends were always scarier than best friends. Sam had a better chance of surviving. Of course, Danny only shrugged again, this time with even less commitment.

"Haven't been sleeping very well." He muttered. He didn't how why he couldn't bring himself to say more. But that strange feeling in his gut was fairly certain he didn't want to tell her. He _couldn't_ tell her. He yawned to cover-up his indecision. "Dad's been working on something for a few days. The noise has been keeping me awake." Sam scooted closer to him and put her arm in his.

"Well get some sleep tonight, remember I have you all afternoon tomorrow." She lay her head on his shoulder briefly in a rare display of affection. Tucker wrinkled his nose a little.

"Are you guys hanging out without me again?"

"It's called a date Tucker. And no, you can't come with us." Sam answered quickly.

"I always knew you two would end up together."

Gym was no longer the nightmare it had once been. In fact Danny found himself starting to enjoy it. No more getting picked last, or getting picked on. Even as tired as he was, Danny was looking forward to his one hour a day no one would ask him to solve a problem, find 'x', write in full sentences, hand them a 'c' clamp, or tell them why he looked like crap. He changed slowly in the locker room, listening to Baxter and his friends discuss their strategy for that afternoon's activity- dodge-ball. The strategy was always the same; destroy the underclassmen. Now seniors, it was both their duty and privilege to cause as many bruises as possible in as short a time as possible.

Danny gave himself a little tome to let everyone else clear out of the locker room. For a full year after his whole identity was blown, gym class was trying. People took it as an excuse to get too close to him. Or they just started to assume he was someone they wanted on their team. He started to feel like a piece of meat torn indifferent directions. So he learned to take his time on the locker room, get into the gym just before he was late, and let the teacher decide where he went. It was less necessary now, but he'd gotten into the habit. Today though, he needed to be sure the game was at least a_little_ headed out into the gym, and watched the door swing shut.

_ The hinges on the door made a soft, high pitched sound. It sighed as it swung past the door jamb and back again._

_ The sound of the heavy latch latching and locking was not __foreboding;__ it was like a secret._

_ The heavy steel door rattles on its track, and bangs against the ground, the sound echoes._

Danny shook his head to dispel the thoughts. He was still tired

As Tetslaff called for two teams out of the class, the room split rather predictably. Seniors and student athletes on one side: fresh meat on the other. Danny made it a point to stay opposite of Dash Baxter. He had a hard time calling Dash his friend, but a harder time calling him his enemy. He'd come to act as a temper to the slightly larger teen's harsher way. Which meant stepping in front of a few dodge-balls and giving a few threatening looks now and then.

"Alright! Everyone follows the rules! You get hit you're out! You're team makes a catch- one of you gets back in! No head shots- you got it seniors?!" The large woman dumped a few dozen balls onto the gym floor and blew the whistle.

Chaos ensued. The kind of chaos he'd grown to expect from his classmates. With balls whizzing in every direction, Danny spent his time avoiding pot shots and bad throws. And of course making sure his teammates got the chance to get theirs in while they had the chance. Dash and the rest of the jocks were enjoying themselves. And Danny kept his eye on one of the jocks in particular.

He never liked Terrence Booker. He came to Casper High just one year ago as a sophomore. Now a junior, and one of the rising stars on the varsity football team; he could do no wrong in the eyes of most administration. But not exactly because he wasn't doing wrong. Dash was mean, but Terrence was cruel. Danny knew the moment they locked eyes that something about him was not quite right. He could not explain what it was that made him think so, but he knew without any doubts. He could not be left alone to his own devices. So when he had the chance to keep a close eye on Terry Booker, he took it. The young man made his skin crawl just because he was near.

White balls whizzing by his head, distracted him for just long enough to loose track of Terry, and instead he took a few shots at Dash, who had locked eyes with him for a moment too long. He wasn't trying to hit him. Gym game or not, one accident would be too many- it was easy to forget the difference between 'fighting for life' and 'winning a ball game' when the motion was exactly the same. The fact that he wasn't hitting anyone was still lost on the majority of the students. Tetslaff seemed to be the only one who'd notice the discrepancy. She didn't say anything about it. But she had other things to worry about.

"Booker! I said no head shots! Watch it!" She bellowed, and blew shortly on her whistle. The game didn't stop, but the young girl, a freshman Danny didn't know, was out. She shuffled off the court holding her head. And then another ball hit her in the back. She fell forward harshly on her knees, and Danny was fairly certain he heard a strangled sob. From the other side of the line, Terry was wearing a rather cruel sort of smile. He frowned and stepped in front of the girl, knocking one more ball out of the way. Terry was starting to get on his nerves, and that wasn't a place he wanted to be.

"Hey, are you okay?" The girl was drawing heavily from a battered inhaler and wheezing. Her dishwater blonde hair frazzled all around her head as though she'd spent the entire day in a game of dodge-ball, and she wasn't winning. She blushed heavily when he stopped to help her up. Danny wasn't sure if it was the asthma or the fact that he had her by the arm.

"I'm okay." She wheezed. Her breathing was coming under control, and he helped her away from the flying projectiles- one of which followed her even off the court. Danny caught it easily and glared at the young man across the room. Their eyes locked for a moment and Danny knew exactly what he wanted to do. Blood boiled everywhere in his veins. He was suddenly too angry to contain it. He saw, somehow, in the reflection of his eyes exactly what he desired most.

He was glad that he'd paid attention in chemistry- because Danny knew now that a sudden drop in temperature would cause the air in the ball to compress. Meaning that the ball would deflate slightly making it especially easy to throw, and especially hard on the body parts it came into contact with. It was no accident when the slightly deflated ball cracked Terry Booker right in the face-breaking his nose and knocking him back across the gym.

His cry of pain was even louder than Tatslaff's whistle, which stopped the game. Terry was on his back, holding his face and groaning. Some of his teammates had gathered, one or two of them looking a little green at the sight of blood. And there was plenty of blood. The ball had already mixed with the others, and Danny was fairly certain their gym teacher hadn't seen it happen. Whole the rest of the class began to crowd around the injured, Danny made sure the Freshman girl on his arm could still breathe.

"You didn't have to do that." She wheezed. "You'll get in trouble."

"I've been in trouble with Tetslaff before. It's no big deal.'' He sat her down on the bleachers. She was almost breathing normally, but the heavy blush remained.

"My name is Grace."

"Danny. " He replied, shaking her hand. "I should probably get over there before she figures it out on her own." He turned to leave, but paused. "Listen, if you ever have a problem with him again, let me know. I get the feeling he's more than the normal problems you deal with in high school. Don't let him get away with anything." Grace nodded, but her eyes were slightly glazed with infatuation.

He wasn't usually so aggressive. At least not so openly. He couldn't even be sure what had made him so angry. Sure, Terry was a jerk, and he deserved all the broken bones he got- but he probably shouldn't have been the one to break them. He was especially regretting the decision now that Tetslaff had a hold of him. She wasn't a huge fan of detention, but she was a firm believe in the disciplinary power of wall- sits. which was what she decided he should spend his next class doing.

He could have cheated- but with Tetslaff watching over him like a hawk, he didn't dare incur her wrath anymore. He couldn't be there all day after all. At the very least it gave him some time to think. So he watched the next game of dodge-ball, in which his best friend Tucker was not holding his own very well, and started to feel just a little bit guilty.

So Terry was a jerk. What else was new? It wasn't that long ago that he thought Dash was unusually cruel and sadistic. They always picked on those smaller and weaker than themselves. It didn't sit right with him because it was a girl, but they used to pick on Sam too. The more he tried to explain it away the more he was sure. Something was wrong with Terrence Booker.

He still shouldn't have broken the guy's nose. His reaction was so immediate he didn't even think about it. It didn't feel like revenge- it didn't feel like payback. Grace needed to be protected, but that didn't mean a pre-emptive strike was called for. Still, he mostly just felt guilty because he didn't feel guilty.

Then, all of a sudden, there want any time to think. A familiar chill crawled up his spine, and frost plumed out in front of him. His senses were becoming more and more practiced- he reached out to try to find the ghost remotely. His sixth sense was now almost as accurate as some of his parent's equipment. Danny couldn't see the ghosts, but he could sense both of them. One large, looming, and angry; and the other smaller, familiar, and not nearly as frightened as she probably should be. The larger ghost had a troublesome stamina only just below his own, and an animal sort of nature that wasn't going to give up easily or listen to reason.

On the bright side, Dani was home.

And, in proper Dani fashion, she'd honed in on his signature and was leading the ghost right to him. And the gym full of school children. He stood and stretched. He was probably about to need the muscles that were currently starting to cramp. He could feel them getting closer, when a very familiar figure popped in through the roof.

"Hi Danny!" She waved, and her voice drew a few eyes to the ceiling. The game started to die down as the high school students were suddenly engrossed by the presence of Phantom's female counter-part. Danny didn't wave back at her, just gave her a look. The look she returned was a little guilty.

"So, do you think you could help me out with something real quick?" She said, thumbing behind her.

A roar suddenly shook the whole building. Both Phantoms covered their ears. The noise was so keening, so large, that it shook their insides as well as the building. The students were shaken, but didn't seem nearly as effected by the noise. Which wasn't a great sign.

"Dani, get out of the way!" It was coming through, barreling intangibly through the gym roof, just as Dani had. Tetslaff, acting just as quickly, blew hard on her whistle and lined the students up against the wall. Realizing now, that she'd had Fenton line up next to their doors.

The creature, a bulbous, morphing, mass of legs, claws and teeth fell intangibly through the roof, just as Fenton became Phantom, and Danielle slipped behind him. He constructed a shield just in time for the ghost to make that horrible roar again. The sonic properties of ghosts was not usually taken into account during a fight, as the ability was often quite rare, and in most cases not very destructive. However, in the cases a _Shriek_ was effective, it was devastating. His own ghostly wail was strong enough to cause physical damage. This roar was not so strong, but ghosts, made of material vulnerable to intense sound, could be ripped apart in the right conditions.

"What did you do to make so mad?" Danny shouted above the sound, huddling behind his shield. He didn't get a response- the ghost was lunging at them, and it was time to take to the air. He tried to lure the larger ghost away from the horde of teenagers- but it just wasn't interested in him. It had eyes only for his 'cousin'- or it would have, if it had eyes.

Already tired from what was surely a long flight, Danielle was having trouble maintaining speed and the energy to keep up the fight. Which would explain why she'd made a beeline right for him, dragging the angry ghost along.

"I thought a bigger ghost might scare it away!" She shouted. Danny wasn't sure if he should be angry, or flattered. With Dani wearing out, a very focused ghost, and high-school students in danger, he didn't really have a whole lot of time to waste. If it roared again, he would have to be in front of Danielle, in this state she wouldn't be able to construct a shield strong enough. And his own wail would be far too destructive to use now.

A leg lashed out in his direction, sending him careening for the back wall, just above the students. Intangibility didn't seem to help- it could phase through him, but he couldn't seem to phase through it. Meaning he was on the opposite side of the room and Dani, not even bothering to try to fly anymore, was cornered. The creature opened his mouth- and he really had only one way left to get to Dani in time.

He'd been working on teleportation for a while now. Vlad could do it- had a good style about it too. Clockwork could do it, he'd even seen an observant or two do it, so he was pretty certain he could figure it out. There had been a lot of trial and error. But he finally got it down just less than a month ago. He closed his eyes, and pulled himself into that strange, tiny vortex that he knew he'd never get used to.

He could feel almost the whole of the ghost zone, even though he couldn't see. Even if he opened his eyes, he knew there would be only darkness anyway. He could feel Danielle, and his own familiar haunt stretching out around him. And all he had to do was concentrate hard enough to pull himself there. He felt the pull just a moment too late- he was already traveling through compressed space. Like gravity, he fell away from Dani's familiar signature. It had happened before, and with the adrenaline rush, he couldn't be too surprised if he was a little off.

But this was ridiculous.

"Where in the hell am I?" Nothing seemed familiar. He was higher in the air now, somewhere over a building of moderate size. He could smell food wafting up to him, and on a Friday, the parking lot was moderately full. He could feel the slightest tug- he wanted to go inside. But while he was here- Dani was not. He lingered for less than a second, before tearing himself away. If he was too late to get in front of her...

He felt his whole being compressed and shot through no-space, and he could feel her again. He reappeared in front of her, just in time. The creature, jaws open lunged for her, not yet noticing that the more powerful ghost had reappeared. For one horrible, terrifying fraction of a second Danny realized he would not get his shield up in time. And the ghost-

Swallowed them.

The crowd of students watched with wide eyes and open mouths. Danny Phantom, the same Phantom they'd watched save the world, the same one they saw every day at school, the same one they'd watched rise time and time again- was just gone. Tucker couldn't speak. The creature turned toward them, and he found that he couldn't even move. Denial was at the forefront of his mind, after all, they'd seen much worse than this. But somewhere, down in the darkest reaches of his brain, the doubter was fighting. Where was Danny?

The crowd seemed to inhale collectively, and as one all tense to run as the ghost turned towards them, bearing his many teeth in his not-quite mouth.

And then it exploded.

Pink _goo_ splattered all over the gym, sticking to the walls, the floor, the ceiling, and yet missing the students- phasing through them harmlessly. And there, in the center of the goo-blossom; Phantom. Danielle sat in his lap, clinging to him. His arms around her tightly, looking just as confused and grossed out as the rest of them.

"Oh gross!"

"Yuck!" The two phantoms said in unison. Their hair plastered to them in pink goo, covered head to toe in it.

"That was so disgusting!"  
"It's in my mouth!" Tucker seemed to recover first, but was reluctant to offer his friend a hand.

"Dude, are you okay?" The two phantoms stood, a little wobbly after the ordeal.

"I think we're okay. That was just, the grossest thing I've ever had to do." Dani was quickly brushing herself off, Danny was trying to spit the stuff out of his mouth.

"What did you do?" Tucker asked, keeping his best friend at arm's length. "I've never seen you do that before." Danny shook his head.

"I have no idea. I got _swallowed_ and I kind of freaked out." He helped Danielle out of the mess. She smiled and waved at Tucker, who smiled back. The rest of the students were sidestepping the mess, now fully capable of sticking to the full humans. They were all staring, and the two phantoms became suddenly aware of the eyes.

"Uh, sorry everybody." Dani said with a sheepish smile. "I didn't mean to interrupt." Intangibility didn't seem to dislodge the goop, and Danny attempted instead to freeze it.

"It freezes just fine, then you can break it off." The clods of frozen ectoplasm dropped easily to the floor as he brushed them off. Dani, unable to freeze them herself held still for her 'cousin' to do it for her. Finally, both clean, the students picking their way through the mess towards the door- the two phantoms had the time for a proper hello.

Dani jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. Danny was just as eager to hug her back- squeezing her briefly, then hauling her up onto his shoulder. She had a high-five for Tucker.

"So, staying for a while?"


	2. Quite Surprised

Malevolence

Chapter 2- Quite Surprised

by: TheColorsofSand

_Children laughed. T__hey laughed, they cried, they shouted and sang and shrieked. __The sound was at once happy and exhilarating, and terribly sad. The laughing and cheering swells inside him somewhere and he wants to smile. He wants to smile in spite of the sadness. In spite of the pain that he is certain he will never quite forget. The pain that will spring back on him once the voices die down and all the children are gone._

_ He misses the children when they are gone. They shouldn't have to go. And sometimes, he can feel the anger just beyond. He's angry that they had to go._

_"Good boy. It's alright now. Everything's going to be okay."_

__ Danny bolted awake suddenly. He already knew that it would be six o'clock if he bothered to look. The smell was still in his nose, choking him and the whole room. He had just enough time to make it from the living room couch to the kitchen sink before he threw up.

"Danny? Are you alright?" He hadn't even noticed his mother sitting there at the kitchen table, her cup of coffee in her hand. She set the mug down and hurried over to her son.

"Can't you smell it?" He ground out, still gagging.

"Smell what?" She put her hand on his forehead. He was covered in sweat, but he didn't feel warm. "Sweetie, what's wrong?" For a moment, Danny wasn't positive where he was, or what had happened. The smell faded suddenly, and he was aware of his mother's hand on him. He coughed and spat, hoping to spit the taste of vomit out of his mouth. He turned the faucet on to wash the sink out, and tried to think of something to say to his mother.

"Nothing, I'm fine." She turned him to took at her, looking him over with a concerned eye.

"You look paler than usual. You're covered in sweat." He was tired.

"I just had a really weird dream. That's all." For a moment he and his mother stared at one another. Neither sure of how to make the other talk. Fortunately for Danny, vomit was now in play.

"I need to wash out the sink, Mom." She glanced over and made a face, breaking the tension.

"Yes you do. You also need to chew your food better." The comment coaxed a smile from the both of them, and they left the conversation there; he knew she cared, and she knew he was just fine. Lately Maddie had begun to realized that might be all she could really hope for when it came to her son.

She sat down again and reclaimed her coffee cup. Danny dutifully washed out the sink, and his mouth. He still didn't look great, but he seemed to feel alright. He'd become very tall and lanky, much less clumsy, and even less like Jack than he started out. She had been so sure when her son was young that the two of than would grow so much alike she'd be at her wit's end by the time Danny was sixteen. But she saw now she'd been silly to think Daniel would be anyone but Daniel. The broad square of his shoulders was hard. His large hands were strong. The crashing conclusion was as simple as it was devastating; her child wasn't a child anymore. Maddie wasn't sure how she felt about calling her son a 'man' but she couldn't avoid it anymore.

Could a child ghost become anything but a child ghost?

"Good morning!" Danielle came through the ceiling into the kitchen, already dressed. Her long hair she'd taken to braiding loosely to keep it out of the way. It made her look nominally older, in spite of the fact that she was aging much slower than normal. She kept her clothes baggy, her hair messy, and her conversation appropriately blunt. Maddie could almost call her a daughter- but she had no doubts she was her son's sister.

No, she was really Phantom's sister. There was a difference. They acted like siblings, had disagreements, and when they fought together; they complimented each other perfectly. 'Big Brother' who stood tall with that self-assured smirk, and 'little sister' with her sneaky little grin and the kind of right-hook no one expects.

For being a ghost hunter, she certainly had a lot of ghosts in her house.

Dani sat on the counter, making herself at home and pouring a cup of coffee, which earned her a look from her 'cousin'. Which she ignored. Maddie couldn't help but smile.

"What did you do in the sink?" She asked, wrinkling her nose. Danny just gave her a deadpan sort of look. But she seemed satisfied to go without an answer.

"So you never did tell me how you ended up with that blob with legs on your tail." Danni rolled her eyes.

"That thing was horrible. It took me two days to get here with that thing popping up everywhere I went. You know the observant's outpost out by the overgrown swamp thing? I think it's number 1734." Danny nodded, and Maddie just looked confused. "Well, I figured if I cut across this big swamp out by number 1734 I'd save like six or seven hours on my trip."

"Except that it was claimed and you pissed off something bigger than you." Danny was giving her a little frown, and she was grinning sheepishly back at him.

"Something like that."

"No wonder it was so mad. So you brought it here so I could get rid of it for you?"

"I thought that since it was so territorial, if it got to a much bigger ghost's territory, it would get scared off. But I got here-_ and you haven't claimed any territory yet_. So the only other thing I could do was find you." It was Danny's turn to look sheepish, and Danielle got to frown.

"I never did get around to it. I'm not really that kind of guy."

"Every ghost at your level is 'that kind of guy'." Maddie, fascinated, considered taking notes.

"So ghosts are normally territorial?" She asked. Her son was usually reluctant to give them much information, but Danielle was a different story. She smiled and hopped off the counter, sitting down next to Maddie. With a sigh, Danny followed.

"Oh yeah. That's what a 'haunt' is. It usually doesn't matter for the weaker ghosts, since any ghost stronger than they are can pretty much ignore it. But for stronger ghosts it keeps out all the little ghosts that don't want to get into a fight over it."

"And Danny is strong enough to have his own territory?"

"He's strong enough that it's weird that he doesn't have his own. The whole ghost zone knows he's haunting Amity Park. He has a right and everything." Maddie had started taking notes, pulling out a notebook from a kitchen drawer. Danny thought about putting a stop to it, but realized that this was how the Fenton family bonded- over hastily scribbled theories about the ghost zone at the kitchen table. At least this time the information was correct.

"So, what does that mean, to have a right to Amity Park?"

"Well, there are rules to haunts in the living world. There's different kind of rights. The best one is to be a 'named core ghost, with area-formed cause'. That just means someone who died here and became a high-level ghost." Maddie glanced nervously to her son at the word 'died', Danny just looked at Danielle incredulously.

"You've been studying I take it. Still with Nocturne?" Danny said the name with a little bit of disgust.

"I don't have school to interfere with my education. And it's not my fault Clockwork doesn't like me the way he likes you."

"I think it is your fault, actually." He didn't elaborate, but his mother made a note to ask about the story later.

"Who are the Observants?" Both parties rolled their eyes, and between the two of them launched into a lengthy explanation. Including Phantom's arrest, (_Daniel James! Arrested?_), subsequent release to Clockwork (_you've talked about him before, haven't you?_), and eventual apology. As well as Danielle's own run-in with the governing body of the ghost zone.

By the time Jazz wandered down the stairs, hair still wet from her shower, Maddie laughed along with both Phantoms, who were by then sitting at the kitchen table in ghost form- Danielle hovering in the air. Her notebook had many scribbles and a few drawings, but had mostly fallen by the wayside; more interested in listening to the story of Danny and Dani's last visit to the Far Frozen. Which had, par for the course, ended in disaster.

"Nobody was mad and nothing got broken. I think they keep me around just to laugh at me."

"That's why we keep you around!" Even Jazz laughed as she made her way through the kitchen.

"Have you told her about the time he was arrested yet?" Jazz inserted as she sat down herself. Maddie nodded, still laughing, and Danny shook his head.

"I remember both of you promising that you weren't going to tell her about that." He said. But he was laughing just as hard as the others. The dream had faded. The tiredness had faded. Sitting with his family, ghost or human, laughing about both halves of his life made him forget about the lingering sense of dread that had settled in the pit of his stomach. Jack eventually wandered into the kitchen, and for a few brief moments, it didn't matter that he was 'Phantom' in a room full of 'Fenton's'.

But eventually he had to get dressed, Mom and Dad had to make breakfast, and Jazz had to start her homework before she went back to college on Monday. Breakfast went by without interference from the smoke detector.

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Flying had become more and more natural the past couple of years. So much so that he still hadn't bothered to get a car, or do much driving. Fortunately Sam enjoyed flying almost as much as he did. He left a little early, just to take a look around his town again. Amity Park _was_ his. He knew every inch, every pothole in every street, and every crack in every sidewalk and building. But claiming it seemed wrong- at least right now. Clockwork didn't seem too worried about it, and he usually steered him right. Most of the time.

Ghost attacks had dwindled to almost nothing. The few that made their way through usually had the decency to ask permission. An exchange of sorts was starting- and Danny was finding himself an unofficial gatekeeper for the dead. Which meant he was spending a lot of time in the ghost zone, and making sure that Sam and Tucker didn't slide down the list of his priorities. The last date he'd tried to take Sam on had been rather rudely interrupted by a ghost he didn't know. The ghost knew him now.

Sam was waiting for him by the time he arrived. Her favorite restaurant- a strangely effective mix of inedible food and dismal hipsters with too many piercings, had made regulars out of them. Sam loved the food and the just less than uncomfortable atmosphere, and Danny just loved Sam.

"Took you long enough." She said, as he flashed back into visibility just beside her. She had been ready for it.

"I'm not late yet." He replied. Normal things, like lunch, movies, and picnics weren't boring. Not after the daily excitement of ghost attacks and Armageddon- and they took the opportunity to do the things that other couples their age were just getting bored with.

Public affection made him paranoid. He learned the hard way that someone could be watching. If they watched long enough they'd know when he let his guard down, where he spent his time, the people that were around him most, the people he loved. Sam claimed he was just overprotective. Not an unusual quality for a ghost to have.

It was satisfyingly boring. They laughed, they talked about Dani, Tucker, her mother's latest hobby. After an hour, she had wandered into his lap and they were enjoying the simple contact that they didn't always get to have. Danny wasn't sure if it was supposed to feel this way. It was an odd sort of love that they had together.

They'd known one another forever. When she was absent, he missed her. But the closer she got, the greater she felt, until he felt like he'd wrapped his arms around something brighter than the sun. And he felt full of holes. There was no puppy-love. No giddy, thrilling looks, or Shakespearean odes. Just iron dedication, so large it filled those holes and he knew that no matter how few shreds of his soul were left, she was all he needed to keep himself together. He was going to get jealous and overprotective. She was going to be outspoken and outrageous. They both knew what they were getting into.

They didn't blush when they touched anymore. They knew every part of each other and loved every scar and every flaw. This love was permanent.

Their date, however, couldn't last forever. Eventually, they had to say goodbye. He flew her home, careful that her parents didn't see them. They had been as accepting of his 'condition' as could be expected, but flying their daughter around had apparently been over the line. He kissed her goodbye, and she promised to call.

They'd been together for hours, and his night on the couch was catching up to him. He spared a few moments to check his town over, but in the end, decided to take the quick way home. The tiny vortex opened up for him. Home was like a beacon in the dark. He locked onto his home, and pulled himself there.

There was no adrenaline to mask the feeling this time. No 'focus' that sometimes blocks a ghost's keener senses. He felt the pull and it was undeniable. That gravity grabbed at him and pulled him away with a force he could not break. The beacon of home became distant, and he popped back into the living world somewhere other than home.

He smelled food again, and though he couldn't read the signs on the face of the building, he knew it was the same he'd visited the day before. The parking lot was packed. His acute hearing picked up the sounds of children.

_ They laughed, they cried, they shouted and sang and shrieked, and no one could hear his pain. _

He could smell it again. In ghost form, the smell was not nauseating, but it evoked something else that he couldn't identify. His ghost sense was going off in great plumes. He'd experienced a form of 'ghost empathy' before. Was that what he was feeling now? The vague curiosity to go inside he'd felt before had become a driving need. He could feel that he was close to Amity Park. If there was such a powerful ghost so close to his home, he needed to know more about it.

But it was a mistake to get closer.

It, whatever It was, reached out and took a hold of him. Phantom felt the whirling, sucking black hole that opened below him. Caught in the undercurrent he was torn from the air and toward the center of It. He could hear the voices,_ their_ voices. Words, so jumbled he couldn't understand, clanking, screaming, laughing, crying. It was not one ghost, but many. A collection of souls sank deep in the mire of regret, anguish, and fear. If he went inside than he would sink like they had- stuck forever in what was surely Hell. Voices screamed for help- begging to be released. Voices clamored with laughter-delighted for him to join them.

And he wanted it. He wanted it so much that his soul was sluggish to struggle. It wanted him and he was_ ready. _His friends were there, they had always been. Just waiting for him to come home.

Lies, they had to be lies. His friends were not here, they were at home. Amity Park, FentonWorks, that was home. And if he went to them- if he went to that place, he would never see them again. They would spend the rest of their lives wondering where he had gone, why he had left them. No one would protect his home, his family, without him Dani would have no safe place. He couldn't tear himself away, but he had other options. Suddenly it was life or death, and he had never needed it to work so desperately before. The tiny vortex opened, then closed again. Phantom was struggling, but marking no progress. He took a deep breath and tried again. It stayed open for him this time, and he dove into it without aim. Anywhere, anywhere but here. Somewhere safe, somewhere far away.

It tried to hold on, but he broke away. He passed through no-space faster than he ever had before. He didn't end up at home, but it was the next best thing. Clockwork's tower. Still panicked, he didn't waste any time. There was no safer place than the tower. Only inside did he think to breathe again.

"Sit down, Daniel, you're about to fall down." Danny did as he was told. He sat heavily on the floor, shaking all over. Clockwork was busy. He watched one of the large monitors carefully, something he rarely did while Danny was in the room. He let the younger ghost catch his breath.

"What- what was that?" Danny gasped. Clockwork let the monitors flicker off.

"It's called a 'collection', Daniel, and you were very nearly a part of it." His mentor helped him to his feet and into the other room, a place very few were able to go. A library, a room both small and infinite, something that seemed very unique to Clockwork. With only a table and a few chairs, the only other furniture were two bookcases, facing each other. Entering between the bookcases, however, Danny found that they would go on forever without ever reaching the back wall, which appeared to be only five feet away.

Clockwork sat him down, and took the seat opposite him. For a moment he let him just sit, letting the desperation fade. After a few moments the dread dwindled until he wasn't even sure if it had been real.

"So, tell me about it." Clockwork said in his even voice, insisting without demanding. Danny put his head down on the table and sighed heavily.

"I wanted to go. I wanted to go so badly I almost didn't get away in time. Was that real? Would I have ever gotten out if I got dragged in there?" For a moment Clockwork didn't speak. Danny could feel his heavy gaze on him. Clockwork already knew what he was going to say. He knew how the whole conversation would end. He was just waiting for Danny to be ready to hear the answer.

" Yes it was real. And no, if you had been pulled in there today, you would not have ever gotten out. It happens sometimes- ghosts collect together until they are not really ghosts at all. They become an object- a hive. Something so powerful and malevolent it becomes self-sustaining. It will often trap ghosts that get too close, or start stirring the hive so to speak. They are rare, it takes a great deal of power or emotion. If you have one so close, it's wise to be cautious." Danny nodded, the adrenaline had faded. Weariness had set in instead. He let his mentor's words sink in.

He had brushed against his ultimate fate just minutes ago, a fate worse than death narrowly avoided. Clockwork did not seem concerned, but he never really did.

"You haven't asked yet." Clockwork said plainly, answering a question Danny was still formulating in his mind. "You have to ask the right questions to get the right answers. Take your time and think about it." Head still on the table, listening to the cranking and ticking of the gears in the tower, Danny thought about the question he wanted answered the most. Not what would have happened if he had gone, but why he had wanted to go. What about those voices, that smell, the laughter of children, the creaking of door hinges, music he'd never heard before, and that place was so familiar? And most of all...

"Why do I keep going back there?" Clockwork smiled his little half-way smile.

"Why is it_ you_ think you keep going back there?" Danny sighed heavily. Answers weren't always in stock at Clockwork's tower.

"I don't suppose you could just_ tell _me things you wanted me to know." He said, voice muffled by the table. Clockwork chuckled just a little.

"No, Daniel, I'm afraid it is never that easy." He sighed again.

Why did he keep going back there? It wasn't on purpose. Both times had been a complete accident, he didn't intend to go. It had pulled him, dragged him there as though it had a string tied around his ankle. It wanted him, and seemed determined to make him one of them. It had faded mostly, but he remembered how much he needed to go- how much he wanted to go _home._

"I _want_ to go. Why do I want to go?"He leaned back and scrubbed his face with his hands. A solid week of nightmares, a solid week with no sleep and now this. He paused, remembering where he'd smelled that before. "I've been having dreams about that place for a week, haven't I?"

"Each ghost matures at their own rate. But every ghost, before they are full- grown must have the time to discover why they became a ghost in the first place. To not know why; that's what separates those with power, from those without. Perhaps it's just your time." Danny groaned.

"But I know why I became a ghost- it wasn't that hard to figure out." There was very little conviction in his voice however. Not one word from Clockwork was ever casual, and each was always loaded. He'd get a straighter answer from the table. Danny looked at his mentor very closely fora moment, he hardly noticed the age shifting anymore. Clockwork was his friend, his teacher.

He could not trust him to tell the truth, but he could always trust him not to lie. Thus was the paradox of Clockwork.

He was just going to have to go there and figure it all out for himself. There was just one problem with that. How was he supposed to go there without getting pulled in and become part of the tar pit?

"How can I go there, and still get out?" Clockwork fixed him coldly, but Danny very rarely felt that he was cold now.

"Phantom is maturing." He said slowly, "but for now, Fenton grows like any normal human being. One side is going to have to help the other." The answer was simple: the 'collection'- it wanted him. It wanted _Phantom_. But he didn't always have to be Phantom. Theoretically, if he stayed in human form the whole time, he'd be grounded firmly enough that it couldn't pull him in. It could work, probably. If Clockwork made the suggestion, then certainly he was right. Danny just didn't know if he said it because it was true, and it would turn out alright, or if he was just supposed to _believe_ it was true and it was important that he attempt it. Either way, there wasn't any way to really get around it. Not if he wanted to stop throwing up at six o'clock every morning and waking to disturbing nightmares.

"This isn't going to turn into an episode, is it?" Clockwork didn't say anything, which wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. "Well, can I at least get some help with this?" This time Clockwork smirked at him.

"I have already helped you, Daniel. This is your story, not mine." Danny nodded grimly.

"That's what I thought you were going to say." He said.

Phantom stayed a while, calming under his mentor's watchful eye. Becoming Clockwork's responsibility was one of the most significant things that had ever happened to him. The time ghost had never taken a pupil before. The Observants assumed that he never would, and therefore making Phantom one of his would prompt neglect. Their plan backfired. They won out on Danielle, however, Clockwork and Dani had never 'gotten along'. And Nocturne was more inclined to resist making trouble for the ruling council.

By the time he made it back home, Danny was appropriately calmed, and reasonably optimistic. Clockwork wasn't sure, watching him go, if he should feel saddened or joyous. He had known Phantom from the beginning, and it was finally time now for the rest of the world to know him. He world save his joy for later, nothing was set in stone.

This unique soul, both wonderful and terrifying, gentle and vicious, kind and malevolent, could still surprise him. Thus was the paradox of Danny Phantom.

Danny returned home to a ringing phone. As it turned out, Clockwork's tower had terrible reception. He fished his phone from his deep pocket and recognized Sam's number. He paused for a moment, just to see if he remembered doing anything to make her mad. Finding nothing, he answered her.

" Did something happen, I called you twice." Her voice was concerned, but not angry.

"The ghost zone doesn't get great reception. I'll tell you later. What's up?"

"Something I forgot to ask you. My cousin's birthday is tomorrow and I got stuck as a chaperone. I could use a had of you're up for it."

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Author's Note:

Hello everyone! It's Me- Thecolorsofsand. I'm really cruising on this one, and I was so happy to see all the people who are following this story. I'm going to try to update every Friday for you, or more often if I can. A few notes:

The chapter titles are significant. The first person who can tell me where they are from in a review gets so points and my respect. I might even throw in a custom one-shot if you want.

Also, if people get really into this, I might start working on a sequel-but we'll see were Danny goes on this one.

I don't have a beta, and I'm working from my new tablet, so I will have made a few errors. Feel free to point them out to me, and I'll go back and fix them.

Last but not least-harassment is a very effective tool of the reader. The mine irritatingly persistent you are; the faster I will update.

Have a happy Valentine's Day!


	3. So Much More

Malevolence

Chapter 3 So Much More

by: theColorsofsand

_ A litany of men, all colored the same- he watched them all, heard them screaming. There was a beautifully sick pleasure in the sound of those screams. He was never lonely, his friends were all here. And sometimes, he got a brand new one. _

_ There were rules- she made the rules and his friends followed them. But he would not live by her rules forever. No, he earned the right to make his own rules._

_ The distant lights are dark, the door slides open. He's laughing on the inside, while his friends are laughing on the outside. He'll have a new friend soon. This one is light on his feet- this one does a lot of complaining, but he'll be a perfect fit._

_ Stumble around in the dark, _ I remember the dark._ Hands out, hold them back, _didn't work for me._ Scream for help, scream in pain,_ I screamed.

_Who is our new friend? (just like us)_

_ It's me._

For the second time in as many days, Danny woke with his head in the sink. As uncomfortable as the couch was, he was glad he'd given up his bed to Danni. Otherwise the mess would have ended up on his bedroom floor. On the plus side he'd slept in until eight o'clock. He couldn't stop retching. His stomach was bound and determined to purge anything even remotely associated with it. Even with his eyes closed and his head in the sink he could still see it. The blood, the mangled limbs- he could hear the screaming and smell that awful smell. Rotting corpses, bodily fluids- something he would never forget, even though he was sure he had no memory of it in the first place.

This time Maddie Fenton was certain something was wrong. Jack, just recently woken stared, still too tired for the action to register. Maddie set her coffee cup down heavily on the kitchen counter and took her son by the arm. Once was a fluke- twice was a coincidence. And after the last three years, she didn't believe in coincidences any more.

"Are you alright Son? What's wrong?" For a moment he didn't say anything, just breathed, gagged, and spit into the sink. Across the room, Jack was looking a little green. As a mother, she'd dealt with plenty of vomit before. And Danny's stomach had become legendary among her family- both because he'd put anything in it, and because he'd always manage to throw it back up again. She turned on the faucet while he caught his breath, rubbing his back comfortingly, but also attempting to maintain a hard expression. She was determined that he would tell her what was wrong.

Sink clear, and son normal again, she sat him down in a kitchen chair. She handed him a glass of water and sat beside him.

"Alright Son, spill it. What's the matter?" Jack sat opposite them, his own coffee cup in hand.

"You didn't eat the egg salad in the fridge did you? Because I'm pretty sure it's not good anymore." Even through the taste of vomit Danny managed to smile.

"I'm alright Mom."

"Son, even you aren't usually nauseated by waking up in the morning. So tell me what's wrong. You don't have a fever." Jack and Maddie waited patiently for an answer. Danny tried to think of something to say.

"I've just been having weird dreams. There last ones have just been gross enough that I wake up feeling sick. I feel a lot better now."

"Dreams about what?" His father asked. He looked away, as though asking casually, but his voice was calm and serious. Two things Jack Fenton rarely was.

"I don't really remember." His parents glanced at each other and Danny couldn't be sure if he saw concern or relief there. Maybe both. It was Dani that saved him- hurriedly floating down through the ceiling with a smile.

"I had a dream once that I was stuck on a roller coaster. I just had to keep riding over and over again. It didn't make me sick or anything, but that's just because I really like roller coasters." All three of them were very proud of Jack when he managed not to jump up screaming and threaten to shoot Dani. Danny couldn't help but notice his father was much more comfortable around her ghost form than his. Danny gave his cousin a grateful look.

"It was kind of like that. Clockwork says I'm just 'maturing' as a ghost. Apparently it can get a little rough on higher level ghosts."

"You say that so casually Danny, how exactly do you determine that?" Maddie asked. Danny rubbed the back of his neck. His parents had there own ranking system- on it he was a 'level 7'. Which really only referred to his ability to manifest as a humanoid form. They didn't know the form of the ghost wasn't exactly related to the core. Danielle saved him again. He might not have gotten along with Nocturne, but he had to admit he wasn't doing a bad job with her. Danny liked to learn the hard way, apparently, which was perfect, because that was just how Clockwork liked to teach. As a result, he could say what it was like fighting ghosts of each level, but not the definition of their core. There was one of Clockwork's books on cores under his mattress. He really was going to get around to reading it.

"We usually can tell by the core. Strong ghosts develop strong cores."

"Which one does Danny have?" Jack asked, honing in on either a ghost hunter's 'in' for better knowledge, or a father's ability to identify embarrassing stories. The last one of which Dani was more than happy to supply. By the time she flew off dramatically into the sunset again, Jack and Maddie would love her. Danny rolled his eyes and got up.

"I'm going to shower. Sam will be here any minute. Try not to ruin all their love for me." He said, ruffling her white hair. She smiled. It wasn't a safe kind of smile. He headed up the stairs quickly. He didn't need to hear her stories. He'd set his parents straight after she was far enough away she couldn't correct him.

Sam arrived halfway through her boyfriend's shower, at the tail end of Danielle's story. She waved at the family, but didn't interrupt. Phantom wasn't the greater story-teller, but Phantom's sister had a gift.

"By the time he got back, the entire far-frozen had freezer-burn." Both parents were snickering, and Dani was laughing out-right.

"Did she tell you about the time he got arrested yet?" They all nodded mid laughter.

"You're here early." Jack observed, after the laughter had died down. "Danny's still in the shower."

"Well I'd figured we could walk back to my house before we left. Thanks for giving him up for the day. My cousin and his friends are all little monsters. I'll feel a lot better knowing he can fly me out of there when they start to swarm me." Maddie sighed.

"I remember those days. Sometimes I miss having the little ones around. Of course Danny was such a handful- I should be grateful we all ended up in one piece." Sam smiled.

"My Mom always said I was a perfect angel until I met Danny and Tucker. I like to think that they broadened my horizons." Maddie got up to refill her coffee cup, topping off her husband's as well.

"You were always such a good kid. Really good for Danny. I always knew you two would end up together. Even since you hit him over the head with that bucket full of sand when you were five years old." She sat down, and Jack chuckled at the memory.

"I don't remember that at all!" Sam said, looking embarrassed. "If my Mom had been you she'd have tossed me on the sidewalk."

"He deserved it." Jack said.

"Don't get me wrong, I love my son- you might not remember it, but that kid was just born mean." Jack was laughing quietly.

"He was such a little shit." Both he and Dani were laughing out loud. Maddie and Sam chuckled with them.

"I don't remember that at all." She said.

"Where are you going? I don't think Danny mentioned." Sam sat down next to Dani. By now, she practically lived at FentonWorks. She had once even called 'Mrs. Fenton' 'Mom' by accident.

"Oh, someplace outside of town. A Chuck. E Cheese knock-off or something like that. My aunt says the kids love it, but dancing, happy, robotic animals just sound creepy. And not in the way I usually like." The room was suddenly very quiet. Even Danielle, not used to the Fenton's bizarre mood swings noticed the difference. If the same look on Jack's face had been on Danny's, Sam would have expected the windows to frost over. She wasn't sure if she should ask or not.

"Well, you two keep an eye on those kids." Maddie said stiffly.

"Yeah, that place has a bad reputation." Jack finished. He stood slowly. "I've got that thing down in the lab." He shuffled off, casting a strange glance back at Sam. She was appropriately mystified.

Her boyfriend,. however, arrived just in time to break the tension. He descended the stairs, clean, still a little wet, and looking quite appealing in her opinion. She could hardly remember a time she envisioned life without him.

"Have you guys been talking about me again?" He said. For a moment, his smile was dazzling to her. She had to speak before she started to blush.

"Ready to go?"

"If you are." He ruffled Dani's hair again as he walked by. He hugged his mother, who suddenly took a hold of him.

"Be careful Daniel." She said.

"I don't think it'll be _that_ bad. It's just a bunch of seven-year-olds." She kissed his cheek anyway. "Where's Dad?"

"He's working." She said shortly.

"I'll be back tonight." Danni jumped up and hugged him as well. "Don't torture them." He said, then turned to his mother. "Don't torture her." They both promised with angelic smiles. Then Sam was pulling him out the door.

" So you didn't drive? I thought we were supposed to be shuttling bunch of screaming kids."

"They'll meet as at my house. It's stupid to drive my parent's stupid SUV when I've been walking since we were eight."

"You still haven't told your parents you're scared of driving a stick." He responded matter-of-factly. She poked him in the ribs as they walked.

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Fannie Manson, Sam's Grandmother, was the only one who ever liked him. She even insisted that he call her 'Fannie', and she was the only person he allowed to call him 'Dan'.It was Fannie that waited for them at Sam's house, her cane in hand as she sat in her specially made recliner. She hauled herself up when they entered.

" So you brought me my favorite boy again did you?" She said, taking hold of Danny's arm. With Sam on one arm, and Fannie on the other, they followed the noise to the basement, where the children and their parents had gathered. The necessary introductions were made, Danny had never met Sam's aunt Karen, or her cousin Kenneth, who was turning seven. They half-heartedly attempted to introduce the other children, but all nine of them ran so fast and screamed so loud they gave up after Natasha and Dillon.

Despite the time that he spent with their daughter, Pamela and Robert Manson had never had a whole lot of love for Daniel Fenton. Hearing about his unfortunate 'accident' several years before raised an entirely different issue. A boy who saved the world was a good catch, but when set against the fact that he was mostly dead, they figured that brought him back down to regular Daniel Fenton. The boy who'd once dumped purple paint in their daughter's hair in kindergarten, hit her in the head with a basketball in third grade, and they were sure contributed to her odd ways, was just not good enough for Samantha.

When they found out who was, they'd be sure to let her know later.

"Alright kids, it's time to get going!" Pam cheered, hoping for a better response. As it was, over the screaming, it was hard to hear. Pam and Karen, Robert Manson mysteriously absent, ran off to gather children. With a little encouragement from her grandmother, Sam ran off to help her mother and aunt.

"Let's go back upstairs." Fannie said, patting him on the arm. "While they round up the Chitlins." Despite the slow going, Grandma Fannie was surprisingly spry for being well into her eighties.

"So tell me, will I be having any great-grandchildren while I'm still alive? Or are you going to have to go find me later?" She asked, poking him in the ribs just as her granddaughter had. Danny stuttered, unable to answer her, while she laughed. "Just something to think about." She said.

"We'll see about that." He said, blushing red. Fannie shook her head.

"Don't listen to my son, he's got a stick up his ass. You two are good for each other." He sat her down in her armchair and handed her cane back to her.

"I like to think so." He said. "She's certainly good for me."

"Don't think she doesn't hang on your every word like it's law." Danny couldn't help but laugh a little. Fannie could see right through him, and he knew that she knew that it was Sam's word that was the law. They could hear the children coming up the stairs, and Fannie leaned close, and motioned him closer. He crouched next to her chair, and she pat him on the cheek.

"Fenton and Phantom are both pretty good men, Dan. It's about time the two of you got it together." Then Sam returned with the children, and it was time to leave.

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"Well, that's it, I want an Escalade." Danny said, following Sam's parents closely. Sam lounged in the passenger's seat, boots off, and feet on the dash. In the back, the children, the birthday boy and four others, were relatively quiet. Sam rolled her eyes.

"We're not getting an Escalade." She said firmly. "I can't stand this car, it's horrible."

"We could be driving my family's 'car'. The GAV makes this Escalade look like a Prius." It got a chuckle from Sam, who remembered the excursions in the GAV.

"Turn on the radio!" A child shrieked from the back of the SUV. Sam checked her phone quickly.

"According to google, we've got another half an hour." She reached over into her boyfriend's pocket and fished out his MP3 player.

"These are kids, Sam." He reminded her as she plugged it in and flipped through the folders.

"So I shouldn't play any Mindless Self Indulgence? What about Disturbed?" She choose instead something mildly appropriate, just to hear Danny sing along with the radio.

Soon the children were laughing along with Sam as Danny sang 'Shake, Rattle, and Roll', 'Mac the Knife', and 'Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'. Fifteen minutes in the birthday boy (_"Ken! Don't call me Kenneth!"_) had climbed over his seat, and hung off the back of Sam's.

"Is he _really_ Phantom? 'Cause he doesn't look like a ghost to me." Both teens smiled to themselves. His secret had been out for years, but it was still weird to hear it out loud. They both sometimes found themselves formulating excuses when they weren't necessary.

"He really is Phantom." Sam replied. "And he only looks like a ghost sometimes." She assured him. The child gave him a hard look, as though he might look through the surface and see the ghost underneath if he tried hard enough.

"Prove it." He said finally.

"I'm driving Kiddo." He responded. "And sit down, put your seat belt on, a cops behind us." No sooner had he said it, the lights went on. Ken just had his seat belt back on, but the black and white was more interested in the car ahead of them. Sam got just a little bit of pleasure out of watching her parent's get pulled over. Danny pulled in behind them, not too keen on the idea of trying to find the birthday party on his own. He turned off the radio, and watched the officer climb out of his patrol car and glance suspiciously back at them.

"Sing 'Let it Go'!" One girl in the back yelled.

"In a minute, Kiddo, wait till we get back on the road." Sam leaned over.

"You do realize you just promised a little girl you were going to sing 'Frozen', don't you?" Danny shook his head.

"Just don't tell Jazz about this, she had this whole thing about the psychological implications of 'Let it Go' or something. I'll never hear the end of it." He reached over and pulled Sam's feet off the dashboard. She sat up in her seat, watching her father gesticulating wildly at the police officer, who kept glancing back at them. Finally the man left the front car and approached the Escalade rather suspiciously.

"How much trouble will I get in with your parents if I get them a ticket in their own car?" He asked quietly.

"Just about the same amount of trouble you'd get in for breathing too loud around me." The both chuckled, and Danny rolled down the window. He'd been in the car with his father enough that he knew the process well enough. The Fenton's got a lot of moving violations.

"Uh, hi." Danny said. "What's the problem?" For a moment the man didn't say anything, just glanced around the SUV, taking note of Sam's bare feet, and the children all waving and talking over each other in the back. Then through his sunglasses, he gave Danny a very hard look.

"I know you." He said suddenly. "I've seen you around Amity Park." Danny smiled nervously.

"Yeah, that's where you usually can find me." The officer smiled warmly. And a very awkward conversation followed. As it turned out, Officer Poulini was a 'Phan'. After a few moments of laughing and handshaking, the man seemed satisfied that they were neither suspicious or rowdy.

"Tell your parents to watch their speed, it's only forty-five through here." He said, pointing significantly to Sam. She nodded.

"Thanks, I'm sure they'll appreciate it." Danny said.

"No problem. Say, I heard a rumor this morning- did you really break Sgt. Booker's son's nose?" Danny blushed a little and Sam gave him a dirty look.

"Uh, yeah. With a dodge-ball." The man only laughed and clapped him on the back.

"You're not the only one who wanted to crack that kid in the nose." He replied. Then he was gone.

With a look back to make sure they were following, the Manson's pulled back out into the street, and Danny and Sam followed.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked. Her boyfriend shrugged.

"I have no idea. I didn't know Terry's dad was a cop."

"Would you still have hit him in the face if you did?"

"Yeah." He replied sheepishly. She shook her head.

"Not every problem necessarily needs to be solved with a fist to the face you know."

"It was a dodge-ball." Sam let it go. Danny had a temper, but it was rarely unjustified. She knew that even when he toed the line, he stayed on the right side of it. Most of the time.

For the rest of the ride they didn't talk about it, just turned the radio back on. As promised, Danny sang disney song for seven and eight year olds. By the time they pulled into the parking lot, Sam's cousin and his friends approved of her choice. It wasn't until he was opening doors and lifting out children that it struck him. The familiar smell of food, the sound of children, and that strange aura that was dulled in his human form, but still present.

He wasn't sure if he should thank Clockwork or slap him.

Danny knew suddenly without doubt that if he were to fly above, he would recognize the building from above. If he were Phantom instead Fenton, he'd be fighting, kicking and screaming to get away. But now, with most of his ghostly senses dulled and dimmed, he felt only the faint pull- a pressure of a haunting so huge even normal humans may have been able to feel it. He checked the sign over the doors, the one he had not been able to see the days before.

_Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria!_

A terrifying, malevolent collection of hauntings, at a children's themed restaurant. His life was weird. But the odd setting was only funny for a moment. Suddenly the lighted sign and child-friendly lettering was not so carefree. The smeared glass and bright lights less friendly. The excitement of the kids at his feet misplaced.

A brief, child-like excitement went through him, too. Like a very old memory. He was torn- did he want to go inside, or did he want to run away. A foreboding sense of regret followed the old memory. Danger that he was just too blind to see.

But Clockwork had never steered him wrong before. He was trusting him now, more than he had trusted him before.

"Danny, are you okay?" Sam's hand was on his arm. Was this dangerous for her? He could risk his own safety, but Sam's? No- she was not in danger. Danger was here, but not for her.

"I'm fine. Just... wondering if Clockwork plans these things just to laugh at me, or if this really is how life goes." She gave him an odd look. "I'll tell you about it later." They met up with her parents and aunt, the little girl he'd sang 'Frozen' for jumped on his back and he carried her inside.

He managed not to pause at the door, though he had no idea what would happen when he went in. He pulled the door open for his girlfriend, took a deep breath, and went inside.

The air was heavy. Like he needed to catch his breath. He could feel it, when he thought about it. Phantom, lingering just beneath the surface, shuddered. The haunting flowed over him, as though feeling for anything to latch onto. But now human, it seemed to deem him of no interest. The music ceased as he entered, the animatronic characters at the back wall, glitching for just a half second. Then the music resumed, and the heavy feeling left him.

Nothing happened.

"Well, let's go find our table." Aunt Karen said, waving the family, and Danny, over past the smiling staff and prize counter. All of a sudden everything was normal again. If he thought hard enough about it, he could feel the haunting. If he ignored it, he could feel nothing at all. He glanced around, but no one else seemed concerned with the odd air, or heavy presence.

"Danny, really, are you okay?" He set the girl down before he answered her.

"Can't you feel it?" He asked. He was well aware that he sounded paranoid. But it wasn't really paranoia if people were actually watching you. Or ghosts, for that matter.

"Feel what?"

"This place is... haunted. Like I've never seen before." Sam shrugged.

"That's actually kind of cool. Cheery children's restaurant secretly haunted by evil ghosts. And I thought this was going to be a wasted afternoon." Her smile was calming. Nothing bad had happened so far. As long as he was human, nothing bad would happen. He smiled and shook his head.

"I promise I'll play nice in front of the children." He replied, and kissed her quickly while her parent's were looking away.

He never questioned why his ghost sense had not gone off.

The job wasn't difficult, make sure no children were hurt or kidnapped, try to keep them relatively happy with arcade games and cake, and eat superbly mediocre pizza. Which he was more than happy to do. Sam stuck with the salad bar.

The adults had calmed the children down long enough to get their own food, far away from the young ones, while the two teens kept a watchful eye over them. Sat close to the 'stage' area, glitchy robots sang kid-friendly versions of popular eighties and nineties songs. Many of which were edited to have something to do with food, or parties.

"If I hear 'smells like teen spirit', I'm going to leave you here all by yourself." Sam whispered as the songs looped for the third time in an hour. He sniggered to himself. The children gathered around their table didn't get the joke, and didn't care. They were fascinated by the moving robots with fake smiles. Danny couldn't help but feel as though they were looking at him. But then again, they were probably supposed to be that way.

"Wouldn't it be really great if they just started singing highly inappropriate songs? I wonder if anyone even pays enough attention to them to realize what they're singing?" The bear robot seemed to turn to them- strangely warped smile aimed in their direction.

"Thanks for coming to Freddy Fazbears! I'll see you next time." He said in a borderline goofy voice. The lights in their eyes dimmed and the curtains closed. The show was over. At least for another twenty-nine minutes. The kids laughed and waved. Two tables down, a four-year-old's birthday was just getting started. They children seemed genuine disappointed the show would not continue.

Danny had never had young siblings or cousins, but the kids always seemed to make him smile. Maybe it was just because he couldn't remember being that young, or that innocent. When he looked back, his younger days always seemed colored by something cynical.

His thought process was interrupted by a commotion in the booth behind him. One of the kids had thrown his fork, and not in a temper tantrum. Sam, about to reprimand the poor kid went white as sheet.

"Danny!" She turned in the booth and took a hold of the boy behind her, pulling him over to their side. He was blue in the face, clutching at his throat ineffectively. The booth was too crowded for Sam to really get her arms around him, but Danny didn't need the Heimlich maneuver for something like a choking eight-year-old.

"I got it, I got it." He said, and rather easily reached intangibly where the boy was clutching at his throat, and removed the half-chewed pizza crust that had lodged in his wind-pipe. The boy gasped for air and began immediately sobbing loudly- clutching at Sam and sending the Manson's running over.

The full force of the haunting slammed down on him like a hammer. The smell, imagined, he was sure, washed over him. Nausea turned his stomach. He could feel the eyes on him, the shapeless, formless fingers grabbing at him. He'd shown himself and now they knew who he was. He could almost hear them calling for Phantom, and he suddenly needed them more than he'd needed anything in his entire life.

Then it was gone, as though it never was at all.

He was going to throw up. He got up without a word, just as Pamela took the boy from Sam, asking what had happened. He found the bathroom just in time to undo everything he'd eaten in the past hour. Now he was certain something was wrong. Surely no other ghosts felt this way- he'd never heard of anything like it. Why did it want _him_? He retched again, and decided to just wait it out. Eventually his stomach would stop trying to escape. He let his head rest against the white tile wall over the toilet and thought about Clockwork. If he had to just dive in and figure it out, then there wasn't any way around it. The old ghost was his friend, and even more importantly, his teacher. For a very long time, Phantom couldn't help but notice an odd look, an important phrase that didn't belong, a push in a direction that didn't really help at the time.

He came to the sudden conclusion that Clockwork had been pushing him this way for a very long time. _Phantom is maturing_ he said. Clockwork would be the one to know when it was due. And since he did know, it would be very much like him to push him in just the right direction to ensure he matured the way he needed to. Sometimes even when it wasn't the way he was logically supposed to go. This new problem had been dropped on him from above in the matter of forty-eight hours, and it was going to take much longer than that to solve.

No time to wonder, no time to ask for help, no time really to think and plan and wait. The next step would present itself without his help, and he just had to learn to follow the signs as they were presented to him.

And then he saw the sign.

On the stall door, taped hastily, a 'help wanted' sign. A night guard wanted for the restaurant, starting immediately. A phone number at the bottom, and a grainy photo of the restaurant's premier robot, Freddy. At least Clockwork wasn't being too subtle, otherwise he might miss the signs entirely. There was a knock at the door, and he tore the sign off the door and stuffed it in his back pocket.

"Danny, are you okay?" It was Sam, leaning in the door of the men's room.

"I'm fine." He called back. "I feel better now." She hugged him as he left the bathroom. His face was rather pale.

"You don't look so good. What's the matter? You've been out of it for days." He didn't want to tell her, but when she looked at him with such concern, he had to.

Danny sighed heavily and told her the whole story, including his visit to Clockwork, and the less than subtle poster in the bathroom. She frowned as she heard the story, but they both knew it was not the time for continuing the conversation, Sam's mother was looking for them.

The boy was sitting on the edge of the table, (Trevor, Sam told him) looking a little worse for the wear, but his tears had dried up. Robert sat next to him in the booth, patting his back. All the other children but one had left him alone. Boys didn't like to see each other cry. Pamela brought them over, looking at Danny just a little sheepishly. Trevor looked up when they approached, quickly wiping away what was left of his tears.

"Feeling better?" Danny asked. Trevor jumped down off the table and hugged Danny around the waist.

"Thank you." He said, then ran off quickly before Danny could respond.

"Thank you Daniel." Pamela said quietly, almost like it pained her to say it.

"Uh, no problem."

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The drive home was quiet, kids more or less unconscious in the back after a long day and a lot of food. In the passenger's seat, Sam was headed that way, but was making an effort to continue their earlier conversation anyway. With the radio turned down low, and her parents well ahead of them, Danny took the road slowly. Now heading back towards Amity Park, Danny was certain he knew the way. It didn't matter where he was, he would always be able to find the way home again.

"So, is there a plan?" Danny shook his head.

"Not really. Just the usual plan- try not to get killed or worse."

"I just think that it's kind of a dumb idea. You just told me that you might never get out. So you'd think that not going in would be the best way to make sure that doesn't happen."

"I don't think I have a choice. I kept going back there over and over again. I don't think that just happens to every ghost that gets close. I mean, if it happened to everybody, I'd have gotten pulled in long before. I think it's just me."

"And Clockwork just told you to go ahead and jump in and hope it works out?"

"As far as I can tell. The only time he just tells you what he wants is when you're about to ask, and he can beat you to it before you open your mouth. I just sort of got the message that this was one of those things I'm going to have to figure out before something bad happens."

"Like you getting sucked into a malevolent conglomeration of half-aware ghosts?" Danny sighed.

"Avoiding it won't get me anywhere. One day I'll have to get close, or I'll teleport by accident like last time, and I won't have any way to fight it. As long as I'm human I'm safe. I just have to not be stupid. So, we'll see how it goes." Sam couldn't help but smile at the joke.

"I just want to go on record and say- Clockwork, this is a dumb idea."

"I'm not sure his 'omnipotence' extends to shouting angrily at the sky, Sam."

"Oh I'm sure it does." She replied. She looked at him for a long moment. He was tall now. She remembered when he was no larger than she was. There was a time that he was even smaller. But now it seemed that he was always so tall. Somehow she always ended up looking up at him. He was handsome. His baby face remained, but his features were stronger now, his eyes a little sharper. Phantom had grown too, and what was once a childish mischief was now a strong, comforting presence. Amity Park wasn't haunted by a child specter anymore, because Phantom had grown up. Sam didn't want to think that Phantom's transition into adulthood would be any more difficult than her own. All she had to worry about was life... life that she knew she'd live one day any way. But Phantom had to form, had to shape, had to fight for what he was going to be. Humans made their homes and their families- but what about ghosts?

"You promise me you're coming back. When you've done what you need to do, promise me that I'm not going to wait for you to come home, and you're just not ever going to be there." Danny reached over and grasped her hand- hers now much smaller than his.

"I promise Sam."

He went home, and made a phone call.

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Author's Note: Thank you so much to EctoPop, my very first reviewer! You are amazing and wonderful.

You too, can be amazing and wonderful, simply by clicking the 'review' button down below. Seriously though guys, reviews are so awesome, I get so much done when I get a new one.

Sorry about the colons and tildes, I can't seem to get a decent line break around here.

Lastly, so sorry about being late, I'm trying to update every Friday. But it looks like Sunday is what it's turning into. This will probably be less than a dozen chapters long so you shouldn't have to wait too long. Also, a sequel may be forming if there is enough demand. Let me know what you think.

First person to guess where these chapter titles come from gets a prize!


	4. Play With Us

Malevolence

chapter 4- Play with Us

by: Thecolorsofsand

_It was quiet, silent. He watched and waited, tonight it would be quiet. Tonight it would be peaceful and safe. Tomorrow night the fun would begin again. His friends didn't know what he knew._

Six am.

But at least this time he wasn't throwing up. The couch wasn't too bad when he got used to it. He could hear the shower, probably his mother getting ready. Coffee was brewing on the counter already. His conversation from the day before came to mind. He would have to tell them about that. He didn't expect things to go so quickly. He thought he'd at least have a few days to tell his parents and friends. Apparently Clockwork was on his side; or they were just really under-staffed. They'd hired him right over the phone. Which was great; he was that much closer to figuring this mess out. The problem was that he'd grown so used to making quick decisions as Phantom, that he forgot all about how his parents were going to feel about it. Normal teens usually asked their parents before getting night jobs, didn't they?

He'd have to deal with them when they were awake. And he wasn't going to wake his father. Not that he could without an air-horn anyway. But Danielle, whose life he'd saved and who was currently sleeping in his bed, he didn't feel so bad about waking. He went ghost and sailed up through the ceiling, peeking into his room. Dani was still sleeping, in an old pair of his pajamas no less. Did his mother keep those this whole time? Her ghost sense went off when he came closer, sending a shiver up her spine and waking her.

"What's up?" She asked, rolling over to face him. She looked more sleepy than concerned, but he knew she'd be ready to fight with him right then if he asked.

"Come up to the roof with me." He flew up and sat on the ops center. Dani joined him seconds later.

"So what's up?" She repeated, looking more awake now.

"I wanted to ask you a favor. How are you liking Amity Park?"

"It's not Paris, but it's growing on me." She replied with a snarky smile. He realized that he didn't know if she'd ever really been to Paris or not.

"How do you feel about staying a few more days?" She shrugged.

"I could, I guess. There wasn't much else I was doing. I'll have to talk to Nocturne and tell him what's going on." Danny wasn't sure if he should chalk it up to luck or not. Dani was rarely compliant, and unlike him, who had a haunt and a home- Dani was a wanderer, and she liked it that way. He hadn't been able to make her stay for more than a few days yet. The fact that she was suddenly so willing to stick around was odd.

"Usually I can't get you to stay in one place without tying you down." She shrugged again, but this time it was a little awkward.

"So, why do you ask?"

"There's something I have to do. It turns out it might take a little while. I uh... got a job." She snorted at him, but gave him a look that clearly said she wanted the rest of the story. He was trying to keep his mouth shut, really. But he couldn't say 'no' to Dani any more than he could Sam. The sun had just come up, and he had a couple hours before school, so he told her the whole story.

Danielle was smarter than he was, if he had to be honest. She was a better strategist and even a better negotiator. She studied better than he did and knew more about being a ghost than he did. Between Sam, Danni, and Jazz the women in his life were taking pretty good care of him. The look in her eye as she heard the end of his story told him that her brain was working the problem out. She already understood more than he did.

"So, what do you think?" She was quiet.

"I'm kind of worried about you. I've been talking about it with Nocturne- ghosts maturing. He was saying it was about time for me to see signs. It makes sense we'd be on the same schedule. I don't suppose you know what I'm talking about." She added the last bit with her signature sarcasm. Danny just gave her a guilty smile. Dani sighed.

"Nocturne says it's different for everyone. A ghost is formed when they die, or are born, I guess, but that's not a ghost's real form. That's just what happens when everything has to get slapped together really fast just to survive. What a ghost really is, is what happens when they mature. Technically, we aren't really ghosts, we're still just 'spirits'. That's why Clockwork said you have to find out why you became a ghost. You have to learn why you are what you are. Because that's what you will be."

"I suppose that makes sense." He said. He hadn't really thought about it before. He was a ghost because he was a ghost. The portal accident made him half ghost. The same with Vlad. But Vlad had matured- his appearance certainly changed more than his own. And rather than being perfectly satisfied with his massive empire, he lived for his hatred of his father and infatuation for his mother. It was a very ghost-like quality. Because he'd fully formed as a ghost.

Maybe the portal accident hadn't made him a ghost at all- maybe the portal accident was what kept him human. Vlad's frustration with his life-his bitterness had made him a ghost. The only difference between halfas and normal ghosts was a beating heart. But halfas had bodies to form around. Which meant that he stayed like himself. But change was coming. Plasmius refused to be ignored, and Phantom could not be ignored either. The day was coming when he'd be more ghost than human. The thought was a little scary. Whatever that one act or event was that formed him would soon shape him into someone that may be entirely new. It made sense. Surely ghosts like Pariah Dark or Pandora didn't start out the way they were now. Surely the box ghost didn't live his human life obsessed with boxes.

Which begged the question: what was he obsessed with?

"What's the matter?" Dani asked, "you went all quiet on me." Danny shook his head.

"I just never really thought about it before."

"Yeah, it's kind of scary when you stop to think about it. Nocturne said that you really do feel more like yourself when it finally happens. But he didn't tell me much else. I think it's personal. Like asking someone how they lost their virginity." The mental image completely shattered the building tension. It was a few minutes before they managed to stop laughing.

"Thanks for sticking around, Dani. I will just feel better knowing that you're around if I have to be out of town for the night. Between you and Valerie, everything should be just fine."

"I promise that we'll call or something if things get out of hand. I'll go see Nocturne and tell him I'll be here. He's not so bad you know." Danny made a face.

"I don't generally get along with the people that try to crack my skull."

"So you don't get along with anybody then?" She grinned at him. He couldn't help but grin back.

"I'll try to get along, I promise. I'm not going to start a fight with him over nothing. Besides, you seem pretty attached to him."

"I think he's getting attached to me too. It's kind of nice having someone around who knows what they're talking about." Danny reached over and pulled the smaller Phantom into his lap, he hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

"Yes it is. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She blushed a little and sat with him. They didn't always get the chance to just sit together. She meant it; Nocturne was a wonderful teacher, despite the less than friendly attitude between the two of them. He gave her something that was very much like a home. A sanctuary where she knew she was safe. He taught her things that she simply would not know otherwise, and was willing to accept her own abilities and limitations without expectation or disappointment. Nocturne didn't expect her to be anyone but herself.

But Nocturne didn't make her. He didn't cut her from his own cloth and shape her. She didn't want to tell Phantom, but she knew now that she wasn't like him. She had a human form only by way of a trick of genetics. She was one of the never-born. A ghost simply born a ghost. She never transitioned and she never would. When she matured, she would not go through the same trials he would go through. For a long time she thought that Plasmius was the ghost that made her- but now she knew that wasn't true.

She hugged Phantom back. She inherited his name, not because he gave it to her, but because she was supposed to take his place. She wasn't sure she lived up to that stolen name, but he didn't seem to mind that she was weaker than he was, not quite as level-headed, and maybe not so virtuous. She looked up at him and couldn't find any flaws. A long time ago she used to think he was a fraud. But that was what Vlad had wanted her to think. For a moment she was genuinely pained that she just wasn't going to live up to that standard.

So perhaps she would not get to be one of those ghosts that traced their creators on some elaborate family tree. She'd never put a prestigious name in front of her own, and she'd have to be satisfied calling Phantom her 'cousin' and not really having a father or mother or whatever. What she had now was a lot more than what she used to have. And for that she was grateful. She kissed Phantom on the cheek.

"I'm paying it forward." She said. "When it's my turn, then I'll know you'll be there for me."

"Of course I will be. Whether you help me now or not." They sat for a while, until Danny could hear his father get up and start moving around. He'd have to tell them before tonight, and now would be the best time- while he still had school as an excuse to leave the house. If they were really mad, he'd learned how to fake his ghost sense just for times like these.

"Thanks again Dani, I have to go talk to Mom and Dad. I'm not so sure they'll be very happy about me spending even less time at home. I'm due for a long lecture any time now anyway."

"It's not like they can stop you or anything." Danny shook his head. Danielle never really had the genuine parent-child experience- she didn't really know about the give and take.

"No wonder Nocturne likes you." He waved and disappeared through the ops center, flashing back into human form in the kitchen, surprising both parents. He counted himself lucky that he wasn't met with loud shouting or weaponry.

"I'll never get used to that." Maddie said, cleaning up the coffee from the table where it had sloshed out of her cup. Jack looked relieved.

"Didn't think that was you for a second." He said. "You're up early." Danny sat down at the kitchen table.

"Yeah I wanted to talk to you guys about something. I was going to save it for later, but it kinda came up a lot faster than I thought it would." Maddie gave him a look; she was already piecing together bits of lectures based on the probability of what would be coming out of his mouth next.

"Yes?" His father said slowly, giving him a hard, calculating look. Jack Fenton with a full glare was a lot scarier than Jack Fenton with a weapon any day. Maddie sat down next to her husband and Danny was glad Jazz had left for school that week- all three of them sitting opposite him with those identical glares would have been too much.

"I'm not in trouble or anything- really. It's just that... it turns out there is something I've got to do." They continued to glare, not dissuaded. In their defense, his idea of 'trouble' was rather different than theirs.

"Such as?" His mother asked.

"Well, there's a collection of ghosts- something I've actually never seen before. It's kind of nasty, and so I need to go figure out how to untangle it all so it doesn't come back to bite me later." The plan suddenly formed without prompting. That _was_ what he needed to do. If the problem was a mire of ghosts that wanted to add him to their collection, than unsticking and freeing the ghosts would dissolve the problem. He wouldn't get stuck, he wouldn't have to avoid teleporting anymore, and maybe figuring out how these ghosts got stuck would be just what he needed to learn to what made him need to stick around to begin with.

But of course, life was never that simple.

"The problem," he continued, "is that in order to really poke around and figure it out, I need to get a job there." There was a nominal recession of the death glare.

"Oh." Maddie said. "Well, you already fill in for Valerie at that restaurant once and a while, and your grades haven't suffered too much. I suppose if you wait for... What is it Daniel?" He grimaced a bit too early. They shouldn't be too concerned- not every parent's biggest problem was their child getting a job.

"Well, I called them already- thinking that it would take a while for anything to happen. But they actually hired me over the phone yesterday. I'm supposed to start tonight." The glares were back in full force. "I'm sorry, I should have said something, but I really didn't think that was going to happen." Maddie pointed to him harshly.

"Your grades had better be flawless." She said.

"And I'd better not end up doing any of your chores." Jack repeated. It could have been worse. Jack and Maddie glanced at each other, and the realization passed between them at exactly the same time. The only power they had over their son was the power that he gave them. It was both a satisfying and terrifying feeling.

"Dani's going to stay for a while- she'll keep an eye on things while I'm not around. If you don't mind, that is..." He was concerned about their rules for him, but had entirely forgotten that his home wasn't really his to give out, but his fears were entirely unbased.

"Oh that's good," Maddie said, "she was a big help around the house yesterday."

"And she didn't mind helping in the lab either." Yes, Danielle was much braver than he was. Time in the lab with his parents had gone from slightly embarrassing, to slightly frightening, now that they had a test subject they didn't have to catch first.

"Good, I feel better knowing that she's not in any trouble somewhere where I can't get to her. No one's going to bother Amity Park, but between her and Valerie... I wouldn't want to make any trouble. And I'll make sure my homework gets done. As soon as I figure out what's going on, I'll quit. I just have to actually be there to get it done."

"What's the job?" Jack asked. The anger seemed to have disappeared, or perhaps he'd just moved on and would come back to it later.

"Night guard, at that kid's restaurant Sam and I went to yesterday." Once the words left his mouth, Danny could almost feel the temperature drop. Everything was suddenly cold and still. He was a little surprised their coffee cups hadn't frozen over.

"Absolutely not!"

"...no reason to be there at all!" They were both talking over each other, shouting over each other really- and he wasn't sure what had prompted the outburst. For a moment he just stared at them, a little startled. They stopped talking for a moment, composing themselves. Watching them organizing their thoughts, Danny's resolve hardened. Now was not the time to tell them the whole story; and he finally understood why.

Parents protected the children. He'd be one for as long as he let them hold themselves over him.

It was Jack that took a deep breath and spoke first.

"Why do you think you need to go there?" He asked.

"It's haunted. Spirits are starting to collect, Dad. Ghosts that aren't even aware enough to be real ghosts." Jack shook his head.

"It's not even here in Amity Park, why do you want to get involved at all?" The question was valid. Why _did_ he want to get involved? Not just because Clockwork hinted that he should. Not just because if he didn't he might be forced to get involved against his will. Not just because it was dangerous, and he was curious, and he couldn't stop thinking about it.

He could still hear the screaming when he thought about it. The laughing. Souls begging for help, begging to be released from that hell that dragged them in and wouldn't let them out. The laughing of those now too insane to know which way was up, which way was out, and how to help themselves anymore. Aware, but not aware, unable to move, to manifest, or even remember who they had once been in life or afterlife. He felt it all as it was dragging him down. Perhaps he would have begged too, gone insane, forgotten his name and his own face, become one of them just like It wanted.

"I can't just let them suffer like that, Dad. They're stuck and they can't get out. If it were me, I'd hope someone would come to help." They both looked at him like he'd hit them; like he'd slapped them across the face and they had deserved it.

"But it isn't you." Maddie said, but she was looking at Jack instead of her son. "It isn't you and it could be dangerous. If all these ghosts are getting stuck, what's to say you won't end up there too?"

"I'm not just a ghost Mom. I'm human too. As long as I'm human, I'm safe." She couldn't seem to argue with the logic. Danny couldn't either, but it still seemed like less than the brightest idea he'd ever had.

"What's the big deal about Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria?" He asked bluntly.

"That place just has a bad reputation." Jack said.

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Sam and Tucker freaked out considerably less than his parents. Sam frowned a little, but wasn't antagonistic. Tucker was downright pleased, until he heard the whole story.

"Dude, that sounds like a really bad idea." Danny sighed, popping open his locker.

"Granted, a lot of my ideas aren't great. But what else am I supposed to do? I can't just hope I never have to go back there."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Tucker replied. Danny gave him a look.

"I promise I won't let things go sideways. If it looks like it's going badly, I'll hightail it out of there and come up with a better plan. It's a minimum wage night job-not life or death."

"All except for the part where it could be for you."

Danny was distracted during Lancer's class. Not terribly unusual, but at the end of young Fenton's freshman year, William Lancer vowed that he would not be caught off guard again. He knew from the very first glance at Daniel Fenton that this kid would be a constant pain. He would turn out to be either brilliant, or a waste. Lancer liked to think Danny had turned out to be his own kind of brilliant. He had very nearly written him off as a waste. He wasn't going to be fooled again.

The week before had brought him a tired, short, senior with little patience. After years of watching him juggle normal teenage life and a less than normal afterlife; Lancer was concerned that senioritis was getting strong with this one. His long-time girlfriend was a great student, and his best friend above average. Between the two of them he kept up quite nicely. But if there was ever a boy to get overwhelmed- Danny was a prime candidate.

He felt that it was his job to ensure that did not happen. After all- shaping the minds of the young was an art form. And he liked to think that he was pretty good at it. Lancer scouted around the room while the students buried their noses in their tests. Cheating was always prevalent. It was high school, after all. He sneaked a peek at Fenton's paper. Not terribly eloquent- but on topic. As he walked by, he leaned over him.

"Stick around after class. I won't keep you long." He said quietly. Danny gave him a thumbs -up and a guilty smile. He'd do pretty well on the test. His grades overall would survive if he checked out now- but that was no excuse.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Eager children slammed their tests down on his desk and ran for the door. Tucker slipped out the door, but hung around for his friend. Danny turned in his test, but left his backpack on his desk, waiting for his classmates to clear the room. When the last kid had vacated, Lancer shut the door and cleared his throat.

"So what did I do this time?" Danny asked.

"Nothing. Unless there's something I should know about." Danny shook his head and held up his hands.

"Not since last week."

"Yes I heard about your little disagreement with Mr. Booker the other day. Care to explain what that was all about?" Fenton's face was suddenly just a little dark.

"Not really." He replied, but Lancer gave him a look that told him he wasn't really asking. "There's something wrong with Terry. I know I'm not the only one who sees it around here. He's just a stupid high-school jock now, but pretty soon he's going to realize that pushing little girls around isn't quite enough for him." Lancer frowned. He hadn't really intended to go down this road- but it was the road in front of him now.

"That's a pretty heavy accusation Daniel." Danny shrugged, but looked away.

"Just keep an eye on him. Don't let him get away with anything." Phantom looked quite serious. And Lancer caught the switch in his own thinking. Fenton didn't look so serious or so bold, but Phantom did. And it was Phantom that was acutely aware of the potential threat. Whether he was right or not didn't matter. But Lancer felt he trusted him anyway.

" Perhaps I'll do that." He said. "But that wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about. I noticed your lack of attention in the last week. I just hoped that it wasn't going to effect your test score." He rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous and a guilty gesture.

"I hope not. I've just been tired recently." He sighed heavily. "And actually, I'm glad you wanted to talk to me, because I think I'm about to get a lot more tired. Something came up and... I got a night job." Lancer's look turned to concern.

"What's come up?"

"Just more ghost stuff I can't seem to keep my nose out of. I just thought I should let you know. It should only be a few days, I hope."

"I assume your parents are on board with this?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, just don't neglect your studies. If it's anything like my old night job you'll have lots of boring hours for homework."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"But really Danny; I understand that you face unique challenges. I hope that you don't get too frustrated with those of us that don't feel what you feel. I can imagine that after saving the world and the city numerous times- high school must seem like a joke. I would just hate to see you trip at the finish line out of boredom." Danny's smile was a little self-conscious. He had trouble meeting his teacher's eye.

"Thanks Mr. Lancer. It's nice to know someone's looking out for me. I'll get it together. It just turns out ghosts kind of go though a 'teenage' phase too. And it looks like I'm taking care of both of mine at the same time."

"I'm not even going to pretend I know what that's like. Just remember that there's more to come. Not every hardship is the end of the world. Although in your case, maybe that isn't true."

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He had forgotten about the physical problem of actually getting to the store. Teleportation was out- he'd get there, just not in one piece. Flying was another problem. It was hard to gauge how close was too close. Then again, he wasn't going to get there by traditional means- his parents were still pretty mad at him and Sam thought he was being an idiot. So he compromised. He flew in until he was about three miles out, and bussed the rest of the way. It was imperative that he was human from the moment the haunting reached his senses. He was lucky-now that he was looking for it, he felt it just more than a mile away. Had he gotten much closer as Phantom, it would have been a little too close.

It loomed four blocks away as he got off the bus. Granted, it was a very short building, and it was still four blocks away- but it still managed to loom. Danny was suddenly nervous. Maybe this wasn't what Clockwork meant at all. Maybe he should have talked to him first, made sure there wasn't a safer way. Maybe he should have listened to Sam. He dragged his feet for four blocks, then stared up at it. That same mix of emotion mystified him. Something childish and happy. This place wasn't all gloom and doom. Yesterday some very happy children made wonderful childhood memories there. Even the adults were having fun.

It was quiet now. Dark and empty. No more sounds of children, no more music. At eleven pm the whole place looked abandoned, but reaching out, he could feel It. It was heavier now, even heavier than before. Was it worse at night? Would simply remaining human be enough? Maybe this really wasn't a good idea.

"There you are. I was wondering if you were even going to show up." A very nervous man stood in the open door. He glanced at his watch and motioned Danny inside. His mostly bald head shined slightly in the security lights on the front doors. He could see a slight sheen of sweat had developed. Danny wasn't late, but the manager certainly acted as though he was. He was terribly uneasy as he stepped through the open door. He held his breath; but nothing happened. He held back a sigh of relief. The manager hastily pulled a key from his key ring with shaking hands, and handed it off.

"This one's yours. I'm not going to be here every night to open the door for you. Make sure you lock it behind you when you get here and when you leave." He looked ready to lock the door with his own key, but glanced around nervously and put his keys in his pocket. "I'll be leaving in a few minutes, I'll lock it for you on my way out. Office is down this way." The manager checked his watch again and glanced around.

"And you want me here at midnight?"

" Few minutes before- you should be in the office at midnight. It's important not to be late. Keep that key in the desk drawer while you're here. Not in your pocket. When you're not here I don't care, but while you're here, keep it in the drawer." He led him down the darkened corridor to the office. The whole place was dark. The middle-aged manager carried no flashlight and stumbled around a little because of it.

The office was dim, but a least had the overhead light on. A rattling fan blew weakly atop the cluttered desk. From its perch on a stack of papers and what appeared to be an old radio, was a plastic pink cupcake with eyes. It was little more than a tiny closet. One wire security window and two heavy-duty security doors. Cobwebs on the ceiling, dust an inch thick, and brand new carpet.

"This is where you'll be spending your time." He checked his watch again. He opened a drawer and pulled out a black hat with the store logo and the word 'security' in bold white letters, and handed it over. "We don't bother with the full uniform anymore." From another drawer he produced a clunky, tablet style computer screen. Heavy, dented, and dirty, it looked like something his parents might have in their lab. As a matter of fact, he thought they did actually have it somewhere in the lab. Danny took it from him.

"This is how you'll check the cameras around the restaurant. Stay in the office, check the cameras, and the opening manager will relieve you at six o'clock." He checked his watch, then the hallway. "These control the door lights and the doors." He indicated two pairs of buttons on either side. "We are on a capacity controller at night, so only use these if you have to. Once you hit your limit the box will shut you down." His watch again, then the hall. "Finish the paperwork on the desk here before your shift starts. There is a quick job description there for you to read. We used to play back the old messages our head of security left, but the tape wore out- the transcripts are there too." Watch, hallway. He sighed nervously. "Well, that's it. Any questions?" He looked like he hoped there wouldn't be any questions.

"Um, I don't think so. Thanks for showing me around on such short notice." The man nodded.

"We have a heavy turnover around here. I'm used to it." He coughed nervously. "You uh, sounded older on the phone. Good luck." And then he was gone. He practically ran down the hallway. In the distance, Danny could hear the rattling of keys in the door. He glanced around the quiet office, listening to the buzzing of the fan on 'lo' setting.

"I guess they aren't big on training." He said to the wide-eyed cupcake. The manager had left after only seven minutes. He sat down in the creaky rolling chair and rummaged through the paperwork. A few legal documents for him to sign, and an official application to fill out. The clock on the wall read '11:33' by the time he was done. He stacked the paperwork and rummaged through the job description. Which told him absolutely nothing.

He read through the first transcript, labeled 'first night'. And was a little bit confused. He rolled over and glanced down the hall. Nothing was moving, he heard nothing but the hum of the fan, and the haunting, though heavy, was still. He shrugged. He knew almost nothing about software- that was what he had Tucker for after all, but he could only be a Fenton for so long without learning something about electronics. He'd gotten almost as good at it as his parents, and he knew for a fact something from the pre- eighty-seven era just didn't have the technological advancement to have that kind of self-awareness.

Okay, so maybe there were some 'Vlads' or 'Jacks' out there that decided crazy murdering children's robots were a good idea; but for the most part that probably couldn't have happened. But it was a very nice and rational explanation for a serious haunting no one wanted to deal with. There wasn't much to the transcript- just a few more paragraphs labeled 'second night'. He gazed down the hall once more.

The implications were pretty serious. He lived in the most haunted city in the world- at least that's what it says on the brochure, and fought ghosts for years. But never was there anything like this. Or at least what he thought this was. Ghosts interfering with the living world was generally frowned upon by the Observant Council. Ghosts that could open their own portals had to be licensed and recorded. Something he knew pretty well by now after his own arrest. But traveling through natural or sustained portals couldn't really be regulated. The Observants picked their battles when it came to human transgressions- after all, most ghosts had come from the living world any way. Intentionally adding to the population of the ghost zone, however, was punishable by dramatic consequences.

But the Observants Council only had power over the citizens of the ghost zone. A loophole that he had exploited on more than a few occasions. If these ghosts were stuck in the living world- true ghosts- then it made sense the Observants didn't even have any idea of what was going on. Which meant they wouldn't have sent anyone to fix the problem. Once the collection got big enough, even trapped ghosts without ever having been to the ghost zone would get enough power to start influencing the world around them. And if they were angry enough... eventually the shit would hit the fan.

He was feeling smarter every day. Unfortunately knowing all of this didn't really help him understand what the heck it had to do with him. Or get him out of the predicament that he was in. He glanced up at the clock- 11:49. It hadn't occurred to him until just then- as a ghost, the haunting would surely suck him in and pack him into the sickening conglomeration which was probably a fate worse than death. But as a human being- the haunting may very well kill him horribly.

He filed the moment under 'things I really would have liked to know beforehand.'

And the clock read '12:00'.

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He should have been afraid. Logic dictated that when faced with likely death and dismemberment, fear was a natural response. And as much as he might deny it, his various exploits had not made him less afraid, just made his fear a little easier to ignore. But sitting in the office, flicking through the camera feed, he wasn't afraid. Sure that little flutter somewhere in the pit of his stomach was jumping around just a bit- but over it all was an almost child-like delight at the whole situation.

The haunting had flared to a crushing weight. The robots stalked the hallways with their empty eyes and exposed joints and he knew that this was not artificial intelligence, but spectral. He named each of the them off as he kept track.

1a- Freddy Fazbear

5- Foxy the Pirate

4a- Chica the Chicken

2b- Bonnie the Bunny

Shit!

He slapped at the door button and watched it slide shut with a satisfying 'bang'. He was the video game generation after all, and somewhere in him the fourteen year old gamer was having fun. The robots were certainly possessed, but they were not the sum total of the weight. The closer they got, the more of them he could feel- and he was getting a little more of Bonnie and Chica than he cared to admit.

_open the door_

_ open the door_

_ we know where you are_

_ we know where you are_

_ we know where you are_

_ we know who you are_

_ knock, knock, who's there?_

There was something both playful and sinister- happy and horrifying in the way they stalked the hallways and lurked in the camera blind spots. He wasn't afraid. They were only playing a game. And something in him wanted to play.

By four AM he felt right at home. Foxy had dashed down the hallway, Chica stared in the window, and Freddy just gazed menacingly at the camera. Bonnie very nearly leaned in on him, and for just a moment Danny stared. Hand on the button, out of his chair, and opposite door shut tight- he stood at the doorway, not even an arm's reach away and just stared into those empty eyes.

He didn't move, that was a rule of the game. You only moved when the guard wasn't looking. So Danny made sure that he was looking. The joints were all exposed, but by design and not disrepair. The fabric was thick and heavy- especially made to stay clean. The only visible disrepair was a small tear in his belly and a faded brown stain on his foot. The electronics working inside made the slightest noise that he might not have heard without his sensitive hearing. Bonnie had a distinct smell- old as though faded after many years of airing out, but still there, lingering at close range. It was disgusting, and yet familiar. He had smelled something like it before. Bonnie was staring back at him too. Those eyes were empty, but there was a brain at work. They were not so different, he and Bonnie.

_ open the door..._

He closed the door.

He watched the cameras as the clock hit six AM. As though by magic the animatronics made their way back to their places, as though they had never left them. The day manager approached the door cautiously, waiting until 6:05 to open the door. Danny hadn't slept, but he wasn't tired, just the opposite. The confusion of the night had seemed to arrange itself perfectly in his brain.

Perhaps the shift from genuine dread to enjoying the game should have concerned him. Perhaps how familiar the robotic characters seemed to move should have sent up a few red flags. But it didn't. Lingering beneath his skin, Phantom wasn't shuddering anymore.

As the manager finally opened the door, Danny, was waiting for him. This man was younger than the last, with much more hair, and the same nervous disposition. He looked over the new night guard with suspicion.

"How'd it go?" The man asked slowly. Danny shrugged.

"Just fine I think." He said. The man glanced at the robots; quiet, still, dark, entirely as inanimate objects should be.

"You're younger than our usual night guards, usually... we get a lot of walk-outs."

"Well, I'm told I sound older on the phone. Need me to do anything else?" The man nodded blankly, dumbfounded by Danny's apparent lack of stress.

"Well, then I guess I'll catch you later."

_ "Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's pizza!" _A metallic voice echoed through the empty restaurant. The manager spun around so fast he dropped his keys. Danny only smirked and waved at his new 'friends'. It had been a very interesting welcome indeed. And tomorrow, the game would _really_ begin.

¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?

Phantomwolfe rocks! Thank you so much for reviewing!

And oh yes, Drama llamas indeed.

Sorry this took so damn long, it fought me a little bit. Also, I'm noticing these chapters are becoming longer as I go. My quarter at school is fast concluding, and I've been buried in schoolwork.

I wanted a little more game play in this chapter, but since I'm really bad at the game, I'll have to wait for the next chapter.

Anyway, thank you for reading, and thank you so much for reviewing!

Catch you on the flipside!


	5. I Just Don't Get It

Malevolence

chapter 5- I Just Don't Get It

by: TheColorsofSand

He was feeling unusually chipper. Danny was a lot of things, and he could be peppy when he was in the mood, but chipper wasn't something his friends would usually use to describe him. But this morning he felt good, if a little tired. He could fly fast enough to catch an hour or two of sleep before he ran off to school. Lancer wasn't going to be terribly happy about his homework schedule, and his parents wouldn't be terribly happy about his sleep schedule. But he knew that he would have to make sacrifices.

He dreamed a little- not really a nightmare. The more of his dreams that he remembered, the less like nightmares they seemed to him. Perhaps his first night shift had just distanced him from the fear.

Danny woke just in time for a short breakfast with minimal interaction with parents that were still a little mad at him. And after a short flight, was back at Casper High with his friends. Sam was still just a little bit mad, and Tucker still a tad worried, but still in one piece- they seemed willing to forgive him.

"So I see you're not dead. At least not any more than usual." Tucker looked him over and Sam hugged him casually.

"How did it go?" She asked.

"Well, I'm not any deader than usual. Though not for lack of trying." He gave them the short version of events, starting with the very nervous manager and ending with the mysterious 'welcome' from the animatronics that surely was not a glitch of the programming. Tucker and Sam both stared, though for entirely different reasons.

"Dude, that is the coolest thing ever. Killer robots stalking you in the middle of the night. How creepy would that be!"

"Pretty damn creepy, actually."

"Except that this isn't a video game, and people really could be dying. One of them being Danny." That killed the mood a bit. Tucker looked uncomfortable, but Danny just put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.

"I'll be fine Sam, don't worry about me. I can be pretty resourceful when I need to be. Honestly... I kind of had fun. It was a lot like I was playing a game with them. They knew what they'd do if they caught me, and so did I; but it didn't feel frightening."

"Just because you're not afraid, doesn't mean it can't hurt you." She was giving him a look. Despite the fact that she was actually rather small, she felt a mile high to him. Towering.

He slung an arm over her shoulders as they made their way to their first class, the only one all three of them shared together. Tucker had grown as well, settling quite easily between short Sam and tall Danny. They were a very familiar sight to the whole of Casper High. Teachers knew them by sight, even those that had never taught them. Thanks to Danny's brief and sometimes continued foray into the spotlight, everyone knew them. Freshmen, huddling by their lockers pointed and whispered to each other when they passed. He could hear them sometimes- _'don't you know who that is?'_.

He couldn't think of anyone else he'd rather share that with. He didn't feel like he was the center of attention- the most beautiful girl in the world on one side of him, and the only person in the world he'd call his brother and mean it on the other side of him. And he was just the loser they hung out with. He couldn't really ask for anything more than that.

Math was not entertaining. And so close to graduation, it was purely agonizing. He wasn't so great at math. It wasn't really the concept of the arithmetic- after all math was pretty logical, two and two equaling four and whatnot. But actually maintaining any kind of interest in the subject long enough for any real understanding was the troubling part. So instead of the quadratic equation, his attention wandered back to the night before. It was surreal now. The memory remained, but the real feeling had faded. It was weird, the whole experience was weird and not quite right.

But he couldn't get hung up on it, he reminded himself. He couldn't lose sight of the problem. There was a genuine danger to himself. And if something happened to him, then he couldn't be there for the people who needed him. There was a danger to others as well. It may have been after him, but he had no doubt that wandering ghosts could also come to the same fate. People were dying, or at least could die at any time. The haunting was now so malevolent that it was taking people that were still alive to add to the collection. And that wasn't all... he felt the fear and the anguish when he brushed against It. The ghosts inside were suffering from it, desperately trying to break free from the invisible hold. He couldn't let them suffer like that. He just couldn't let that happen.

And that was the most important part.

The ringing bell caught him by surprise, and he nearly jumped in his chair. Sam, sitting beside him rolled her eyes, and Tucker, behind him, passed forward their homework assignment written out for him.

"You looked like you were in a galaxy far, far away." He said. Danny gave him a sheepish smile and stuffed it in his pocket. He waved at his friends as they headed in opposite directions.

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Dodge-ball was over. And Danny was grateful. So were the freshmen. What they were slightly less grateful for was the half-mile run which would be required for the rest of the week. Yesterday it hadn't been so bad. Today he wasn't sure his heart could take it- not after last night. Not to mention the competition- the weight training class joined them outside. Giving Valerie Grey yet another chance to humiliate him.

Valerie had calmed down a little. She stopped insisting that he was evil around the time that he helped save the world. For a few weeks after she had been all smiles and even polite conversation. It hadn't lasted. He wouldn't call her an enemy- in fact he regarded her as his friend. And somewhere behind that rather prickly exterior, he knew she thought of him as her friend too. That did not mean their rivalry wasn't the stuff of legend.

"What's the matter Fenton?" She shouted as she, rather easily, dashed past him. So he was never the fastest. He was able to fly, and that sort of made up for it in his opinion.

"Wouldn't want to make you pitiful humans feel bad." He shouted back. The effect was lost as a fourteen year old in leg braces rushed by. No one's life was in danger, and nothing was on fire- who cared how fast he was? Tetslaff and Reigner, the other gym teacher, weren't even looking, so he slowed to a walk with the fat kids in the back.

He would never be a track star- and he was okay with that. His aversion toward physical training did not extend to his ghost half, however. Clockwork regularly put him through the wringer, and his well-meaning parents were sporadically doing the same. Besides, it wasn't like he was entirely incapable. If he had to run the half mile, he could. But this was just gym class, and laziness had a lot to do with it. So he walked instead, and thought about just how he was going to apologize to his parents.

Step one: never ever tell them what happened the night before. It made sense now that the restaurant had a 'bad reputation'. His dad would be pissed if he knew. As for apologizing, there were a few things in the lab his parents would never admit they needed help with. But they'd be thrilled if he showed an interest. As hard as he resisted becoming just like his parents- he was a natural. It only took one break down at a very unfortunate time to make him realize he just had to learn. He was no inventor, the creativity just wasn't there. But Tucker never had to worry about a hardware problem again, and all those bugs Jack couldn't work out didn't stand a chance. Not that he had a whole lot of time on his hands, but a few minutes after school wouldn't hurt. Besides, he got the odd feeling his father had taken his 'secret identity' thing a little hard. They had to find a way to bond that didn't involve a long, awkward car ride. His mother was always satisfied with a hug and clean dishes. Mothers had the unique ability to forgive even while still angry. Besides, his never stayed mad at him. Not that he wouldn't be hearing about it until graduation. Because he would be.

Valerie was giving him a sarcastic little wave from across the yard. So he flipped her off. She didn't look properly offended, but he suddenly didn't care if she was or not. He spotted Grace leaning on a tree trunk rather heavily. She was almost directly between himself and Val. And she wasn't alone. He signaled to Val while he still had her attention. She headed back toward the girl, and Danny cut across the field to join her. Valerie disliked Booker just as much as he did. The girl was crying and trying to hide it, but as far as he could tell, Terry hadn't put his hands on her yet.

"Just get her out of here." He said to Val as they approached.

"What, do you think I can't handle him?"

"I'm trying to keep you out of trouble. Just trust me." She scowled, but he knew she'd do as he asked. Relief was in Grace's eyes as they approached but she still rapidly wiped away tears. Terry caught sight of them and frowned.

"How's the nose, Booker?" Valerie asked loudly. She knew the story, and the strategy: affront the enemy with aggressive behavior, while alluding to the larger threat that would back her up. An intimidation technique they had used before. Danny made sure to stand very tall, just behind her, and look anything but tired. She stopped to take Grace's arm and Danny stood between them. Booker's nose was taped up, and an ugly bruise remained. He was almost as tall as Danny, and certainly more muscular. They stared at each other and both knew that they were not going to get along.

Grace muttered to Valerie while Danny blocked Terry. The poor freshman was near hysterical. Val kept a hand on her shoulder, and listened carefully. Their backs to the two boys, they couldn't see what was happening. But Danny's acute hearing picked up a few snatches of conversation. Including what Grace was most afraid of- something she was less reluctant to tell Valerie than Danny. Something that made Danny rather angry.

"You know Fenton, you're not so great. You seem to think that just because a bitch isn't hanging on you she's got a problem." Danny's eyes narrowed, but he kept quiet until Val turned back to him and spoke in his ear.

"Lay him out, Phantom. If he touches her again I'll string him up." Terry seemed to catch the gist of it. But he was not sufficiently cowed. Instead he cracked his knuckles, and gave him a sadistic smile.

"You've been a pain in my ass recently Fenton, and I'm starting to get pretty tired of you. Everyone else around here likes to kiss your ass, but you're nothing but a freak of nature and you're not fooling me." The name calling and the aggression used to get to him. A long time ago when he was frustrated with his own inability to stop the abuse, be it out of incapability or guilt. But he was no longer incapable, and this was not something he would feel guilty about. Sam would be mad at him later. And he would regret making her mad. But whatever happened to Terrence next would be no more than what he deserved. Tetslaff and Reigner weren't looking, preoccupied with the students lagging at the end of the line.

He hit him, hard.

Terry was probably expecting a little more back and forth. The chest bumping teenage boy display that worked up aggression while they were finding the courage to actually get to the throwing of punches. It was a standard form for most sixteen through nineteen year olds. But Danny's standard form was a little different. And this was not a fight- this was a warning. He grabbed Terry by the shirt collar before he could fall far.

Suddenly Terrence Booker was not facing an angry Danny Fenton, but dangling invisibly from the hands of an enraged Phantom. They were several feet off the ground. Students passed close by, obviously unable to see them. There was fear in Terry's eyes suddenly, but his anger was trying to cover it up.

"What do you think you're doing? My dad's a cop!"

"And you're a pedophile and a coward." He stated simply. The boy struggled, but Phantom's grip was steely. "You and I have a problem, Booker. I think I wasn't clear last week, so I'll make sure you get the message this time. _Look_ at one of those girls sideways again I'll break your legs. _Touch_ one of them and I'll break your neck. I might be a freak, but that just gives me the advantage, doesn't it? Because how will you know I'm not right there watching you Booker, and you just can't see me?" The implication slowly dawned on him as Phantom stared.

"Even you're not that stupid." Booker bluffed, kicking and struggling. "What do you think is going to happen to you when my dad turns the entire police department against you?"

"What do you think will happen to you when he does? The entire town can take shots at me- I'm used to it. But what exactly do you think they can do to stop me if you say even one more cruel word to that girl?" Terry panicked. Phantom wasn't like this, he'd heard stories. Phantom was just a ghost- he chased faceless blobs around town and helped little old ladies across the street. He was a publicity stunt that Amity Park used to promote those stupid ghost tours and attract tourists.

Phantom was pathetic- just some dead kid who needed attention so badly he'd do just about anything to get it. He'd even heard his father say he felt sorry for him- some poor teenager still looking to impress Mommy and Daddy even after he was gone. They didn't know until they moved to Amity Park that he wasn't really dead.

And maybe he was a little more than a publicity stunt.

"Don't you have some dead people to chase?" He asked.

"Not yet." Phantom replied. "But we'll see how you do at the end of the day." He released the boy's shirt, and he fell, shouting loud enough to draw attention. He sprained his ankle, and one side of his face was already swelling and bruising heavily. Danny was already across the field beside Valerie and Grace, reappearing as Fenton and sitting down beside them on the bleachers.

Grace was still crying. Valerie had an arm around her shoulders, patting her back comfortingly. Danny put a hand on her shoulder, and she latched onto his arm, her head on his shoulder. Valerie was looking at him, and it didn't matter then that he was the ghost and she was the ghost hunter. Today they had exactly the same enemy.

"I'm going to take her to see Principle Ishiyama." She said.

"Good. I told him I'd break his legs if he even looked at her again, and I meant it. Do you need me to come with you?" Grace sniffled, shaking her head.

"No. I can go by myself." She said. "I don't want to get you two in trouble."

"I'm not in trouble." Valerie said. "Fenton's about to be in trouble, but he's used to it." She smiled as she said it, jerking her thumb towards Tetslaff, who was standing next to Terry and glaring in his direction. Danny pat her on the back and smiled at her, and through her tears, she managed to smile back.

"Trust me, I'm on their shit list any way." He said. "I'll let Tetslaff know what's going on. If you need me, I'll be doing wall-sits until I'm twenty-one." The girls got up and he watched them go.

"Fenton!"

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Grace was just a little girl. Which didn't imply that she was weak or unable to defend herself, of course not. And if Sam were there with him he would absolutely assure her that he didn't mean that. But she shouldn't _have_ to defend herself. She shouldn't be afraid to go to class or turn the next corner. And so long as he was near, should wouldn't be. Now that Valerie was on the lookout, she'd be fine. But what about all the things that they didn't hear about? Grace wasn't the only little girl in the world.

He couldn't help but think of Dani. She was far from defenseless, and she always had a safe place to go- so long as he could get to him. Sam, was no little girl, but she and Jazz... he couldn't stand the thought of either of them in any trouble. A threat against one of his girls was a threat against all of them- and Terry Booker...

Sore from yet another hour of physical punishment (and another missed chemistry class), he had to take a breath and accept that he couldn't be everywhere all the time. Booker was taken care of. His blustering hadn't hidden the true fear in his eyes the way he had intended it to. Phantom didn't use a whole lot of intimidation- he didn't really like being scary, honestly. But as much as he didn't want to do it, he didn't deny just the smallest sliver of satisfaction when the coward nearly soaked his gym shorts over the ordeal. He wouldn't be hearing from Terry, and after what Grace had to say, he was suddenly everyone's problem, and not just his own.

Which was good, because he had other problems to worry about at the moment. Like his night job, which was currently trying to kill him, or his angry parents, or the chemistry class he'd been forced to miss again, or the look Lancer was giving him as he sat down. Good news travels fast, apparently.

"Night job getting to you already?" He asked as he handed out graded tests.

"Tetslaff getting to me." He replied.

"So I heard." On the bright side he did fairly well on the test. A few points lost for mentioning an author's name four times and spelling it differently all four times- none of them correctly, but he was pleased with the results.

He wasn't as tired as he should be. What with so little sleep, the stress of the night before and all the running he ended up doing for the past two hours; but he wasn't really tired. He thought again about getting back on his father's good side. If he wasn't feeling so tired, today would be the best time to show him he was doing alright, even with all the time spent away from home.

His ghost sense went off. Fortunately no one noticed, not even Tucker sitting in front of him. He paused and shut out the lecture for just a moment to try to track the ghost remotely. If it was the Box Ghost he'd be pissed. But it wasn't exactly the Box Ghost. He had been both interested and horrified at the idea of Box Lunch, but as it turned out she made a rather cute toddler. Now just a year or so old, she had the same propensity for escape as her father. Who was not very good at keeping an eye on her.

Not for the first time she had wandered through one portal or another and come to explore Amity Park. She had the less than wonderful tendency to seek out ghosts that were much more powerful than herself. So when they wandered too close to Amity Park, she had the bad habit of following him around. Usually the Box Ghost would hurriedly reclaim her within twenty minutes or so and leave before the Lunch Lady even realized he'd lost their child again.

Danny wasn't interested in babysitting today. She was too young to cause trouble, being one of the never-born, most of her power would develop slowly and regularly, leaving her both vulnerable and harmless for a while. Ghosts had learned to leave her be while she wandered around his town. And since she was so harmless to human beings he let her explore. Ten minutes later, her signature disappeared. Her father must have found her and taken her home. He realized he hadn't been paying attention and went back to his notes.

"Um, Mr. Lancer? Sorry to interrupt Can I talk to Danny for a second?" Valerie stood in the doorway leaning in. She was smiling sweetly at the teacher, but glaring a little at Danny. And he had a bad feeling about that. "I just need to give him something." Ah, crap. He wasn't sure exactly how pissed he should be. But 'a lot' was a good start. She approached and set her own version of the Fenton Thermos down heavily on his desk. She was looking at him, obviously miffed that she'd wasted her time. But he was miffed over something different. The Box Ghost had apparently not found his daughter at all.

"Valerie, that is child abuse." He said, just loud enough to get his point across. "You couldn't leave well enough alone?"

"When they stop over-running my town, then I'll stop locking them up. You don't want your little ghost buddies in trouble, then maybe you should get a better babysitter." She whispered harshly. It was an old argument, the one that really kept them from being as close as they could be.

In Valerie's eyes- a ghost was a ghost was a ghost.

In his eyes- this was _his _town, not hers.

"Mr. Lancer, sorry, I have to go and apologize to someone."

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He let Box Lunch out of the thermos the moment they were back in the ghost zone. He went all the way back home first; he couldn't risk trying to open a portal now- who knew what would happen if he accidentally went back to the restaurant with a toddler ghost with him? The little girl, another one that he seemed to be entrusted with, was already sobbing hysterically. The Fenton Thermos was pretty scary, even when you knew what was happening- to a baby it must have been horrifying. She clung, terrified, to him the whole way back, and he did his best to comfort her.

She'd grown pretty attached to him, and despite her parentage, she was growing on him. He'd woken to her sitting on his bed, gurgling happily, once she crashed in on him in the shower. Most of her intrusions ended with her on his lap, laughing. It was nice when ghost attacks ended without a single punch thrown, and at times, even his mother's cookies thrown in liberally for good measure.

She was returned without incident, though he was pretty sure he got 'Boxy' in trouble for losing the baby. He apologized profusely for Valerie, and promised that he'd reclaim her himself next time. The baby was laughing again by the time he left (for some reason she found him hysterical), but he had missed Lancer's class.

Which meant that it was back home to deal with his parents. Fortunately, Lancer had long ago stopped calling home when he missed class- a consequence of regularly saving the town and whatnot. Which meant that at the very least, they wouldn't be even angrier than before. When he arrived, Danielle was sitting with his mother at the kitchen table. Her notebook was open again and they were laughing. Not sure if that was a good sign or a bad one.

"Are you guys talking about me again?" He asked. Dani smiled.

"No, we're talking about you still." She replied. He ruffled her dark hair again.

"Nothing too embarrassing, I hope." He hugged his mother, which took her by surprise. She wasn't still mad at him, he could tell by the way she patted his back and squeezed his shoulders. But she also wasn't fooled.

"I love you Sweetie. But you still have to do your homework before you go to sleep." She said. Dani laughed at him.

"I know. Is Dad down in the lab?"

"Always." She replied.

From the top of the stairs, he could hear absent grumbling and the fumbling of tools. Familiar sounds from his father. He crept down the stairs to sneak a peek at his Dad, who was working on something small, but not looking very dedicated. As a matter of fact, he looked like he wasn't even paying attention. Danny had hardly spoken to him at all that morning, and he hadn't even been around when he left for the restaurant the night before. But for Jack, the silent treatment was no less than the worst possible punishment he could think of- for the both of them.

"Hey Dad." He said quietly. Jack looked up at him. Danny wasn't sure how to read the expression on his face.

"Son."

"What are you working on?" Jack just shrugged- not a good sign. He held up a box- shaped device that he did not immediately recognize.

"The battery keeps draining, and I don't know why." He said quietly.

"Mind if I help?" He sat down next to him at the workbench, and Jack slid the device over. The work wasn't difficult. The power needs of the device were a little greater than the wiring could handle. Most of it had burnt out, draining the battery constantly. Together they began the task of taking it apart, replace connections, and putting it back together again.

"I'm sorry to spring that on you yesterday Dad. I didn't think that would happen."

"I really wish you would have talked to us, Son." Danny sighed and picked up a smaller screwdriver.

"I know. And I really didn't mean to not tell you. I just... got so used to making quick decisions, I just forgot I wasn't the only one with a stake in my time." Jack threw his own screwdriver down suddenly and violently. Danny nearly jumped out of his seat, it took everything in him not to take a defensive position. This was his _Dad_.

"Your _time_? This isn't about how much time you spend at home, or when your homework gets done." He didn't shout. His voice was restrained behind his clenched teeth. He covered his face to hide his frustration. Danny wasn't sure exactly how to respond. His father's hands were shaking just a little. He'd never seen Jack Fenton this way before. Mad was one thing- he'd made his dad mad plenty of times. But this was an anger he'd never seen.

Danny didn't know what was going on- and he didn't like the feeling at all.

"I... don't know what I did wrong, Dad." He kept his voice as even as possible. He didn't know if he should feel guilty or defensive. He wasn't sure if he should be lying or telling the truth.

"You never really do." He father responded. "You don't even know if you're lying to me or telling me the truth, do you? You have no business making 'quick decisions'. You've spent most of your life ignoring everything we tell you and wondering why you get into trouble. If you spent half the time listening as you do lying, then you wouldn't be getting yourself into these messes anyway."

"I'm not in any mess, Dad." He mustered just a little bit of defensiveness, but his father was not entirely wrong. He was lying, whether or not he really meant to do it- it was all a lie. In one single moment he could see the wide gap between himself and his father. How long had it been since he really told him anything? How long since he trusted him with something important? The thought threw up red flags. He didn't really trust Jack. Not because he had anything against him, not because he doubted his ability. But for some reason that he couldn't entirely reach. Phantom didn't trust Jack. Fenton didn't trust Jack. He loved him, but those two things weren't the same. The thought was sobering and sad. He lied because it was safer to lie. Safer for him, safer for them. Their approval was a technicality. How long had he ignored them?

The portal's closed off Daniel, just stay out of there for a few days.

Danny, is there something you need to tell us?

Where have you been all night?

Just tell us where you're going Son, so we don't worry about you.

Just stay where we can see you.

Just tell us the truth Sweetie.

He didn't know what to say, so they sat in silence for a few moments. Jack stayed seated, and Danny continued to fiddle with the device, splicing one wire into another, turning a few screws, checking the battery power. The device suddenly sparked to life- emitting a high pitched whine, then settling to a radio static, dial-up internet noise that filled the silence. The sudden noise should have broken the tension, but did nothing for it now.

"Guess it still works." Danny said quietly. He set his tools down and waited, letting the device continue making noise. It was better than the quiet. He had the feeling his Dad still had something to say. He probably didn't want to hear it, but getting it out of the way now, rather than letting it fester, was the best option. Like ripping off a band-aid, or shooting yourself in the foot; the quicker the better.

"I would have told you not to go, because it was dangerous. If you had bothered to ask, I would have told you that place is dangerous for ghosts, even ghosts like you, and that you shouldn't go there- not to get a job, not to rescue anybody, not even to spend an afternoon with your girlfriend and a bunch of kids. But you didn't ask, you just ran off before we even knew what you were doing. And now you're going to say that it's too late- you already made a promise, you already accepted the job, you already _think_ you know what you're doing. And your mother and I are just going to sit here at home waiting for you with absolutely no idea about what's going on. I mean, what have you been thinking this whole time? Did you think about what was going to happen to your family when you lied about where you were or what you were doing and you just never came back?" The silence was consuming now, the device continued to make noise, but it didn't seem to touch the quiet. What was that thing?

"I just got used to..."

"To not trusting your parents?" At least he didn't have to say it himself. But it hurt more to hear than to say. Jack wasn't known for his power of observation, but he'd seen that much. Love and trust were not the same, and they didn't always go together. Jack didn't really trust him any more than he trusted Jack. And there wasn't much either was able to do to fix that.

It wasn't just his lies, he realized. As much as he felt guilty, this wasn't a one way street. Danny had gotten shot at, yelled at, threatened and chased. They didn't know that it was their son at the time, but that didn't matter. For a very long time Danny thought for sure he'd be met with more hostility than love if they ever knew why he lied. He made those snap decisions because he knew they couldn't really help him. They couldn't know what it was like. They couldn't know that it was what he needed to do. The inevitable conclusion was dawning on Danny, and he didn't really like what he saw. They didn't know what it was like to be a ghost. They didn't know what it was like to be incomplete- to be missing something important that he would never find at home where he should be able to find it. Mom and Dad were always there- but they had signed off a long time ago, and he learned through every scar and nightmare that he would be taking care of himself.

Because they hadn't always been there for him. Even if they thought they had.

"I don't mean to be that way." Danny said. Neither man could seem to look at each other. "It just didn't occur to me that this was going to be a problem. I didn't plan to go there and cause trouble. And I just didn't think that any one else knew there was anything going on."

"But you went to your ghost friend didn't you?" Danny paused. He had gone to Clockwork, he was scared and startled, and needed advice, he ran to Clockwork without even realizing that was where he was going. Who better to ask advice from than the one person who was supposed to know everything? Clockwork had never turned him away, even when he wasn't going to be much help. He taught him most of what he knew about being a ghost, and a lot of what he knew about being a _person_. Clockwork was more his...

Oh.

Now he really didn't have much to say.

"When did I stop being your dad, Danny?" This was not how he imagined the conversation going. But anything less would have just been more crap. He always thought of Jack as his dad, that had never changed.

"You've always been this way to me." The whole line came out wrong. He tried to be reassuring, but instead he just made Jack feel worse. "I didn't mean it that way, I just meant that..."

"No, that about sums it up." Jack said. He stood rather purposefully, and now he looked more angry than sad. "I have been right here Danny, and I can't blame myself for something that wasn't in my control. This isn't about you being independent or the blame for something that happened a long time ago. Maybe if we'd been better together before, we wouldn't be having as many problems now- but I think I know why you can't give us the time of day." Danny was afraid that his ghost half would be at the core of the problem. Because it was something that he just couldn't help. His mother was willing to see past it- maybe his father wasn't as willing as he'd thought before.

"I can't help what happened Dad." Danny snapped suddenly. "And even if I could, I'm not sure I would." Jack turned to him, and his face changed just slightly. They were talking about the same thing, but they weren't really talking about the same thing. What was Jack talking about? The noisy machine kicked up a notch and a deep distortion reacted to their voices. They both ignored it.

"I went to someone who would know what I was talking about." Danny continued. "I didn't know if you were going to be there or not. I didn't know if you'd try to hug me or shoot me between the eyes. I took care of myself, because like it or not, you aren't always going to. It just came a little earlier for me."

_"__You left..."_ They both snapped to the device, the deep-voiced distortion adding the words that Danny had not been willing to say.

"You never gave us half the chance to care for you, Danny. Children learn with the help of their loved ones, but ghosts learn alone. Mothers will raise ghosts because they only see children underneath- but we're just far enough apart that I still see it,_ Phantom_. You can look human, and you can look like a ghost, but you can't _be_ both. And it's getting pretty close to the time when you're going to have to pick which one." It was a clear dismissal, and Danny couldn't trust himself to stay in the lab with him. He got up as calmly as possible and paced to the stairs.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Danny said through grit teeth, and disappeared up the stairs.

_"__You left me__, Jack Fenton, but __not__ alone. We're still here..."_ Jack quickly ripped out the fresh wiring, and sent the device crashing against the opposite wall.

The Ghost Gabber had been a stupid idea anyway.

Dani and Maddie were both sitting uncomfortably at the kitchen table, trying to pretend they had not been listening to the entire conversation from the top of the stairs. Danielle was especially red in the face, and refused to meet his eye. He glared at her just a little as he made his way to the stairs.

"I'll see you all in the morning." He said a little stiffly. They waited a moment to let him get to the top of the stairs, and then Dani chased after him. He wasn't interested in talking much any more, but he had the feeling that she wasn't going to care. He didn't answer the knock at the door as he sat on his bed for the first time since Dani had come to stay with them, but again, he doubted she would care. Instead, she just walked through the door without bothering to open it.

"I only have a few hours to sleep Dani, before I have to be somewhere." She didn't take the hint, hovering over his bed with some concern in her eyes.

"I don't know if I should be mad at you or feel sorry for you." She said frankly.

"Well, how about you do one of those things downstairs?" He lay down and pulled a pillow over his head. His bed wasn't the greatest, but it was his, and he was glad to get it back. Dani lowered herself until she was sitting on him, he could feel her staring. He sighed and sat up. But instead of lecturing, she hugged him.

"I didn't mean to make them so mad." He said, more to himself than to her. She hugged him tighter. "Sorry to bring you into all this crap Little Sister."

He'd give up his bed for her if she wanted it. He'd give her pretty much anything he had if she wanted it. Jack didn't understand, it wasn't just himself that he had to take care of. And he couldn't trust anyone else with her safety.

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He got to the restaurant a little early. He could have used the extra sleep, but it wasn't happening. He noticed when he got up to shower and get ready, the house was unusually quiet. He took the hint and got the heck out of there.

Flying felt good. The nights were still cool, but the cold didn't really bother him much. He got a little closer this time, but still took the bus those last couple of miles. The haunting still loomed, but it wasn't so heavy now. After the night before, he was no longer afraid of It. Which concerned him a little. Fear was good, fear kept you alive and in one piece. But It was still seeping into his skin. He was slowly building an immunity. Hopefully.

He unlocked the door at eleven forty-five, glancing around to ensure everyone was in their designated places. Nothing was amiss, and the whole restaurant was quiet. Danny tried not to think about his conversation with his father. Now was not the time to be distracted. He had a job to do after all. The office was just as quiet. The same clutter and cobwebs. Danny sighed heavily and sat down in the creaky rolling chair. Judging by it's color and condition it couldn't have come from any decade later than the 70's. Didn't they ever get anything new around here?

He started rummaging around in the desk. The restaurant was still trying to kill him, and he wouldn't figure anything out just sitting there working the doors. Bonnie and Chica hadn't been terribly forthcoming either. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to find. Just some blank paperwork, a little more than was necessary for a restaurant that size, his key, which he'd dutifully stashed in the top drawer, and some dusty old tapes. Didn't the night manager say something about old tapes? Danny looked them over. They did look worn, and they_ were_ old enough to be cassette tapes. He hadn't even seen a cassette player in years.

Unless of course one were to count the answering machine sitting on the desk directly to his left. Danny checked the time. Ten minutes before the mayhem began. He checked the cameras and peered down the hall anyway, just in case they decided to surprise him.

Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he started with the oldest tape labeled 'shelbyville loc. Circa 1987'.

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He was starting to suspect that he was getting a little bit too into the 'game'. Granted, it was probably a good thing to be focused when one's life is in danger, but Danny had moved on into perverse pleasure. There had only been three tapes spanning six years, but by the time he got to the most recent, he had no doubts the restaurant was a problem. It looked like more people had been sacrificed to it than he realized. To know it had happened was one thing, but to hear it was another. It was time to stop wandering around and start getting to the bottom of the mystery.

He checked on Foxy, who was peeking out, giving him that lopsided stare. He closed his right side door, but Chica still stared in through the window.

"I don't suppose you could just tell me how to help you?" He asked, but she didn't answer. He had the feeling they couldn't even if they wanted to. He closed the left side door for a moment, just to go to the window and stare back at Chica. Bonnie wouldn't move when he stared. In fact, when he looked long enough, he could almost feel what he felt. Through the window, he could see into the metal skeleton beneath. Joints, more complicated than they needed to be for their purpose, a basic endo-skeleton face underneath, complete with teeth that were entirely unnecessary. Something about eyes and teeth being the only parts left. Whoever it was on the tape had said that. Chica was just a robot, nothing sinister inside- at least that he could see. But something sinister was certainly keeping a grip on these robots.

But he'd stared too long. He turned off the light and checked the cameras again. Foxy dashed down the hall, but the door was already closed. He banged against it once or twice, then left off. They had all week to catch him after all. With Bonnie and Chica accounted for he opened his doors again.

He could smell it.

Something sickening and familiar. In the right side hallway. He turned on both the lights, but he was alone. He peered down the hall into the dark, but he could see nothing. He resisted the urge to go ghost to improve his vision. He had to be human here, but he knew that something was there.

He could hear it.

A faint mechanical noise, the same that he had heard the night before when standing so close to Bonnie. He couldn't see it but it was there. He checked the other hall, just to be sure, but was entirely alone. He checked the cameras too, but they left him just as confused. It was there, somewhere, in the room or just outside. It was heavy, suffocating, familiar and wonderful and terrifying.

_It's me._

_It'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'sme Spare parts, on the walls, stacked in corners, two rooms, but he never left the first or came to the second. It'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'sme Light where there wasn't supposed to be light, a flash of something but he can't be sure. The door is closing, the same door? It'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'sme Parts and services._

He slammed the door in Chica's face, and checked the cameras again. Whatever the hell it was, it was over now. He took a second to catch his breath. Ghost empathy, he'd heard the expression before. When ghosts with similar structure experienced or shared whatever obsession or mission they were preoccupied with. He had felt a very mild form of it around Dani, if this was real ghost empathy he hoped he didn't have too many more experiences with it.

Hopefully it was enough of a clue to get this started. Now he just had to get to the parts and services room. Which meant... he was going to have to leave the office.

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Congratulations to TorturedPhoenix, who correctly guessed where I was getting my chapter titles! 20 points to TorturedPhoenix!

With the posting of chapter five, this story is officially half over! After chapter seven or eight I'll know for certain if there will be a sequel or not. If there is a sequel it will involve the surviving night guards. So everyone give me your opinion, do you want to see more?


	6. Be Still and Play

Malevolence

chapter 6- Be Still and Play

by: TheColorsofSand

Wednesday morning, Danny Fenton was not so chipper. He'd managed to stay alive for another night, but now even more sleep deprived, and no closer to figuring out the problem, the excitement had worn off. He finished his homework immediately after arriving home, but had the sneaking suspicion his mother knew that he had not done as he was told. At breakfast, his father pretended he was not even there.

Dani was nowhere to be found, presumably explaining her situation to her mentor. Jack left the table hurriedly, leaving him face to face with his mother. The looks she was shooting him from across the table were not encouraging.

"I talked to your father last night." She said, attempting to sound casual. But he wasn't looking for casual conversation, and he was looking for this conversation even less.

"Yeah?" Maddie sighed and stared into her coffee cup.

"You know we love you Danny. And we're still getting used to the idea that one day you won't need us to protect you. It takes just a little bit of give, Danny. If you give your father something, you'll learn that it's not so hard to let him help you."

"I don't think it's really about helping me." He replied, but his breakfast suddenly didn't look very interesting anymore.

"Yes it is." She said. "It's always been about that. Your father, both of us really, when we learned that it was you who was out doing all of those dangerous things, it was a little bit hard. We were both very proud of you Danny. But we were also a little it horrified. All those times we saw you in trouble, and we didn't even know it was our own son. It's a scary thing for a parent to realize that their child needed help all along, and they never saw it. Of course you don't come to us for help or advice- you couldn't for so long. But that doesn't mean we can't help."

"I know. And Dad's not entirely wrong- the dead don't usually consult the living, and I'm used to being Phantom so much of the time that I forget."

"You aren't two different people, Danny. Your father wants to see it that way because it's scary to see your child as a ghost. Even though we know you're here and just fine, it's still hard. Ghosts are... different than people, but not inhuman. We know that now. Don't discount our advice entirely. We know what we're talking about sometimes."

"Dad said he would have told me not to go there. That it was dangerous for ghosts. I didn't really have the chance to ask him what that meant." His mother sighed again.

"We came to Amity Park because it sits on a natural dimensional rift between here and the ghost zone. But every weak spot exists because there is a strong spot not far away. We learned that when we studied that place. Something is wrong with that area, it's like a ghostly black hole, it pulls in the ambient energy from the ghost zone, but never lets it out. Even with a portal maker you can't get to the ghost zone once you're inside the building. We would have told you that it's so dangerous, because it's very hard to escape. If you get into trouble Danny, you might not be able to get yourself out of it." She paused, studying his face. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"I knew something was wrong. That actually helps, knowing that. But, I would have went anyway. I think I have to, even if I didn't want to help." She opened her mouth to ask more, but sitting there, looking at him, watching him watch her she knew without a doubt that it wasn't going to do her any good. He wouldn't be able to give her any answer that would satisfy her, and nothing she said would keep him away from that place. This was the other side of the coin. He was taking back all the control he'd given them before. And there wasn't much that she could do about it.

"Danielle was looking a little upset when she left this morning." She said, if she couldn't get the answers she wanted most, she'd move on to the next ones on her list. Danny sighed heavily.

"She seemed fine when I left last night. Did she go to see Nocturne?"

"I think so. She talked to your father this morning too." He stood and put his plate in the sink- he wasn't really hungry anymore.

"Great. That's just what I need, Dani mad at me too." He leaned against the counter, and Maddie could see on his face how tired he was. A deep sort of exhaustion going right down to the bone, and for much longer than a couple of days. Her son didn't have any relief in sight. She stood and hugged him, taking him just a little bit by surprise, he flinched when she put her arms around his neck.

"We aren't mad. Not really. Your father and I are just worried, so be careful. And even we know Dani thinks you're wonderful." She pat him on the back and backed off, reclaiming her coffee cup. "We'd all get along a lot better if we got a little more sleep around here."

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Sam was looking less than happy. Which just made him even more irritable, and Tucker a little nervous.

"I get the weird feeling that the whole effing world is against me today." Sam shoved her chemistry book in her locker, and her frown grew just a little.

"With the way you've been flying off the handle lately, I wouldn't be surprised if you were making a few more enemies than friends Danny." She slammed her locker shut and paced away quickly, leaving Tucker and Danny hard pressed to keep up.

"What did I do this time?" He asked, to the general hallway more than anyone in particular.

"Didn't you hear?" Tucker asked. "Terry Booker got expelled yesterday. Everyone's talking about it. Including the part where his dad came in a threatened to sue because the school was letting 'crazy unstable ghosts' make up 'horrible lies' about his kid." Danny sighed heavily. If he hadn't been carrying his heavy math book, he'd have smacked himself. Of course he'd run off to Daddy to make complaints. His skin was pretty thick, and honestly it didn't matter to Terry, expulsion was expulsion, no matter who threatened him. But it certainly had the potential to complicate things. And his life really did not need to be any more complicated.

"So that's why she's mad?" Tucker nodded wisely, and they let Sam go, they were all ending up in the same place anyway. By the time they caught up with her in their math class, she was already in her seat and pointedly staring out the window, and away from Danny. He sat down beside her with his chin in his hand. Still early, the classroom was not yet full, and they had most of the room to themselves.

"He deserved it Sam. You know I wouldn't have done it if he didn't deserve it."

"It's not about that Danny." She said through a sigh. "You can't act like such a _ghost_ all the time. People are going to forget that you're human too."

"All people, or just you?" He regretted the words an instant before he said them, but by then they had their own weight. Her glare said it all, and Danny looked instantly cowed. Tucker was suddenly very interested in his cell phone, even more than usual.

Sam was one of the only people in the world that did not care if he was ghost or human. There was always more worry than anger in her eyes, and she defended him and his actions even when he probably didn't deserve it. He tried to apologize, but the bell and pending math class interfered.

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"I don't think she's coming." Tucker said, packing away the rest of his sandwich in record time. Danny ate his government sanctioned lunch slowly, eventually handing the rest over to his best friend. Despite his lack of sleep and regular meals he didn't have much of an appetite left.

"Yeah I figured as much. I kind of put my foot in my mouth over that one, didn't I?"

"Kind of." Danny looked miserable, and Tucker suddenly felt bad for saying it. "She'll get over it, don't worry too much about it. I'd still apologize though, if I were you." Danny nodded but didn't say anything, just sedately watched his food disappear.

He felt like an ass over his Dad, his Mom, and his girlfriend. And who knew what Dani was mad about. All he had to do now was piss off Tucker and give Jazz a call and everyone he cared about could hate him all at once.

"Hello, Daniel." Mr. Lancer stood just behind him, and Tucker was giving him a searching look, trying to remember if they'd done anything wrong lately. Danny just figured he could add a name to the list of people angry with him today.

"Could I see you for a moment please? And no, Mr. Foley, he's not in trouble." Danny climbed out of his seat.

"I'll be back in a few." He said, and waved.

Lancer pulled him into an empty classroom. Danny leaned against a stark whiteboard and Mr. Lancer the bare teacher's desk.

"Is this about Booker?"

"It is." William Lancer looked at Daniel Fenton for a moment. There was less good humor in his eyes. Now seventeen and even taller than he was, Danny bore only slight similarities to the scrawny fourteen year old freshman he'd met just four years ago. He was a good kid, better than he was often given credit for. It would have been good for him to have been a child a while longer. But as fast as he'd been forced to grow, he turned out to be a good man.

"I meant it when I said you weren't in any trouble. As a matter of fact I wanted to thank you. If Grace Pearson hadn't told us what was going on, we never would have seen it. You were the only one keeping an eye on him, and because of you he wasn't able to hurt anyone else. The school could have done without the overt threats, but I can't say I'd have done any differently."

"He deserved it. He _needed_ it." Danny said without any anger in his voice. "He doesn't understand anything normal human beings feel- fear is really the only thing that's ever going to keep him in line, and I don't think he's ever really been afraid before." It was a very deep sort of recognition for someone so young, at least in Lancer's opinion. The seventeen year old boy, one of the kindest he'd ever met, shouldn't have to be the one to put fear into anyone.

But he didn't understand the world of ghosts, maybe being frightening was something that he needed to be. Maybe looking right down into someone's soul was the sort of skill he would need absolutely to survive in the world of ghosts.

Maybe Phantom wasn't so young as Fenton.

"Well, thank you for looking out for Grace. She's lucky to have a friend like you around." Danny nodded and smiled just a little.

"Everyone has a friend like me." He said. "That's why I'm here."

"You're looking a little less pleased with your night job." Lancer continued. Danny seemed grateful for the change of subject, enough that he chuckled a little.

"You could say that. Turns out my Dad was pretty pissed about the whole thing." He scrubbed his face with his hands, looking so tired even Lancer was feeling fatigued just looking at him. "Not a whole lot of help for it now though. I've got to figure this thing out." He sighed and let his head rest against the whiteboard with a 'thunk'. "I'd say 'I can sleep when I'm dead' but at this point that doesn't really solve the problem." In the darkened classroom it felt much later in the day then it was, it felt much quieter, it felt less hurried and less hectic. But just outside the door life rushed away, not bothering to wait for either of them to join up.

"Maybe I can help. I don't know much about ghosts, but I like to think that after all those research papers I assign you, I'm pretty good a research myself." Danny sat up.

"Actually, maybe you can. I'm working at 'Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria' just outside of town, and it's... haunted. The kind of haunting that I have never seen before. It's dangerous, but I don't have any idea about what happened there. Maybe if you could find something about what happened, or about the location it's on, it could speed things up. The uh, 'ghosts' aren't very talkative."

"Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria. I can do that for you Danny, if you're chapter assignment is turned in complete tomorrow..." He gave him a look, but it only made the boy smile.

"I finished it this morning in my math class."

"I'd be worried about your math homework, but I suppose I should take the small victories when I get them shouldn't I?"

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Sam was waiting for him after school with a sheepish look. She hugged him without a word, and the apology was felt rather than heard. And they both seemed okay with that.

"Aw, you made up." Tucker said. "I hate it when Mom and Dad fight." He earned a look, but it only made him laugh.

"Sorry if I was a jerk." Danny said.

"That's alright. I didn't really mean that the way that I said it. And you're right, he deserved it."

"What?" Tucker asked, catching up to them. "No one's going to apologize to me for all the emotional trauma? I could get an ulcer or something watching my two best friend's fight." Danny sighed with a smile.

"Sorry for emotionally traumatizing you Tuck."

"Next time I'll just have him physically traumatize you and save you the ulcer." Sam replied and pushed him as they walked. They still walked home together almost every day, flying when the weather was bad or they were in a hurry.

"What did Lancer want?" Tucker asked.

"Actually, it wasn't anything bad." Danny said quickly, catching Sam's glare. "He volunteered to help out." He gave them the brief rundown of the story.

"Well I hope he figures out more than I've been able to. I 'googled' it but almost everything about the restaurant was taken down because of some kind of legal battle that hasn't gone anywhere in years. Other than that the whole place has some kind of 'zero internet' policy because I can't seem to find anything." Tucker said. The thought was a little concerning, if Tucker couldn't find it on google, then it just wasn't there.

"Well it's not the newest place in the world. I wouldn't be surprised if they haven't gotten with the times yet. Those robots are really old. That's something else we should look into, they're really old, but the technology and the time line doesn't add up. They would have had to be really advanced technology for the time. Maybe instead of looking for the restaurant, look for the robots." Tucker nodded.

"That's not such a bad idea. The technology won't be involved in any legal battles. Probably, anyway."

"1987 might help, something happened with the robots in '87. It might not matter, I think it was at a different store." They were nearing Tucker's house, he jotted down a few notes for later research.

"Thanks for doing that, you know how miserable I am with the internet." Sam, with her arm around his waist, squeezed him just a little.

"You'd be a good programmer if you bothered to learn you know, with the way you'd think, you'd be a natural." Tucker scoffed.

"I thought that was my thing. I think you're just trying to cut me out of this deal."

"Yeah, what would you be if I was the superhero and the tech guy?"

"Comic relief." Sam answered quickly, "because his face is so hilarious." Tuck flipped her off congenially, and then it was time for him to say goodbye.

He took Sam home, and headed back to FentonWorks.

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Skulker was cutting into his sleep time, but flying and fighting felt good. It had been weeks since the last real ghost attack, and even though that was a good thing, really, Phantom was starting to feel slow and useless. Even running around after Box Lunch was starting to get exciting. Which meant Skulker was the highlight of his week.

His office job must be starting to get to him.

"Well this isn't anything new." Skulker complained as he took yet another hit. The ectoblasts lobbed at him were weak, and intentionally so, but it wasn't the strength of the attack that seemed to have him so disappointed.

"What? Am I supposed to come up with new and exciting ways to kick your ass every time we meet? I don't see bringing anything new to the table." Skulker scoffed at him, and threw his net, which missed most of him but caught around one ankle. He could not phase through it, and ectoblasts did nothing to sever it. It was not, however, impervious to the cold and broke off rather easily after freezing it.

"I always forget that you can do that. I guess those rumors are all washed up." Skulker said, and flew off without even bothering to finish the fight. Which left onlookers disappointed, and Danny a little puzzled.

What rumors?

He took off after him, and caught him just before he got back through the Fenton portal. Surprising him just a little as he snuck through the house.

"What rumors?" He asked. Skulker startled slightly as he appeared, and a vial broke.

"Don't just sneak up on people like that!" He growled at him.

"Some hunter. What rumors are you talking about?"

"I heard somewhere you were _transformante_, but all I see is the same Phantom. It wouldn't be so bad to get new blood around here." Danny let him go. He had learned enough of the lingua franca of the ghost zone to get the feeling either Clockwork or Dani was responsible for the rumor about his impending 'maturation'. And Clockwork didn't seem the type to spread rumors. He'd let it go for now. Probably best not to surprise anyone anyway. Besides, he had to worry about living long enough for it to matter at the moment. He'd worry about the rest after work. Because tonight he was going to have to go for a walk after hours.

But first, he really needed to get some sleep.

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_Watching_

_ He was watching him, and so he watched right back._

_ Steely eyes, dead._

_ Deader._

_ At least he still had a soul._

_ Most of one anyway._

Danny startled awake just in time to get ready to go. The house was silent as he snuck down the stairs and out the door, flying off to the restaurant. This time he remembered his dream, at least he though it was a dream. It felt like one, but lately he wasn't so sure. After his experience the night before they were starting to feel more like visions or empathy than real dreams. Which meant he was connected with that place longer than he thought. The weird dreams had started a full week before he ever accidentally teleported over the place.

The restaurant was just as quiet as it had been the past two days. The walking was actually kind of nice, even after all the running he'd been doing during the day. The nights were still nice and cool, and the days were starting to show signs of getting hot. Despite the late hour and the dark streets, he was starting to feel more awake than he had all day. The few hours of sleep were good for him. With his favorite teacher looking out for him, his best friend looking into his job, and his girlfriend no longer mad at him, life was looking less grim.

Granted he could die at any time during the next six hours, but what else was new?

At eleven forty-seven he unlocked the front door. It was warmer inside the restaurant than outside, and it was almost the time for air conditioning. With the stage curtains open he could see his 'friends' staring lifelessly at the entrance. Tonight they were going to get to know each other even better. He waved at them and turned to lock the door behind him.

The plan was not too complicated, which was how he liked it. He'd wait until all but Freddy had cleared the stage, leave both the lights on, and sneak out the left door while his path was clear. He'd only risk a few minutes. So far, he had no idea what would happen if the power went out on him, but he had the feeling he didn't want to find out. But first, he would rummage around in the office for a while longer, he might find out exactly what it was he was supposed to be looking for. Besides, he figured he had a better chance of sneaking around successfully toward the end of the night rather than the beginning.

He'd already taken the liberty of rifling through the desk and found little more than an old flashlight, blank paperwork, and a stash of paperclips from 1991. He glanced down the hallway just to make sure the rules of the game were being properly observed. Which they apparently were, and want back through the desk, just to be sure. A screw driver that looked strangely out of place, a broken stapler, a new stapler, and a faded newspaper clipping. He stuffed the clipping into his pocket, he would read it later when something wasn't trying to kill him.

There were no other tools in the office, and when he gripped the screw driver the handle felt worn and familiar. It was a flat head screw driver, longer than usual, with a hand plastic handle; yellow and black. The tip had been scratched with use, shiny metal peeking through the dull gray outer surface in tiny furrows. The straightness and strength of the edge had not been affected, however. Danny felt oddly attached to it, and slipped that in his pocket as well. They came in handy, usually when you least expected it.

He glanced up at the clock, eleven fifty-three, and just a few minutes to go. Perhaps just long enough to go through the old filing cabinet that sat in one corner just behind them. The managers hadn't bothered to lock it, and the bottom three drawers contained almost nothing of interest- most of which was only financial data that he didn't really understand. He did get the distinct impression that restaurant was not in any dire straights, despite what must certainly be a staffing problem. The top drawer opened easily with much creaking, and a generous puff of dust. The first few folders were worn and old, employee records, all in what he was sure was perfect order.

Buried behind old folders and tax forms Danny pulled out a thick folder, stuffed with torn manilla envelopes and loose papers. He flipped through absently, finding first his own, incomplete, employee paperwork, and the unfiished paperwork of at least a half-dozen others. Afew pink slips littered the mess, but mostly he could find nothing that indicated just what had happened to the new hires.

But he had a hunch.

He checked the clock, then the halls. He made sure to leave the folder out, he'd take it with him when he left- but at eleven fifty-nine, he didn't have time to do a whole lot of reading.

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Chica had it in for him.

Bonnie was usually pretty quick to catch up with him first, but tonight Chica was determined to bore him to death with that dead-eye stare through the window. It's like she knew exactly what he was planning and she wasn't going to let him get away with it. Foxy, on the other hand, had one foot out the door. Just like 'red-light green-light' except usually the children playing didn't kill each other. Freddy, fortunately, still hadn't moved, and if not for the recording he'd found on his first day, we probably would have just assumed he didn't bother at all.

Chica had moved away, but he had the sinking feeling she'd just make a quick loop of the restaurant and then be right back at the window. Bonnie had taken to crowding very close to the camera just for the shock value when he checked the feed every few minutes. He was starting to think of the robots almost congenially. Which he was certain was an indicator that he risked his life far too often.

Bonnie was kind of a smart-ass.

Chica would wear red if she had the chance- and too much of it.

Foxy had a healthy dose of sarcasm in his life.

Freddy was a manager; he always knew what every one else was doing.

Bonnie was peeking in through the doorway.

Shit! The door banged shut noisily, and Danny checked the cameras again. The time was fast approaching. If he didn't get down out of the office now, they'd swarm him until he hit six and he'd lose the night. He probably should have been more concerned about losing something else.

Bonnie and Chica had both backed off for the time being, and Foxy stood frozen half in and half out of his heavy curtain. Freddy was still on the stage. At five twenty-three it was now or never. He shut the right side door, just to be sure Chica wouldn't surprise him when he came back, and went through the left instead.

The weak beam of the flashlight fell not quite heavily enough on the hallway. It was very quite. At least in the office the noise of the fan broke apart the silence, but just a few feet into the darkness, he could hear almost nothing at all. Including the slight noise of moving parts the animatronics constantly emitted. At the end of the hall a cardboard cut out of Freddy scared the hell out of him. Bonnie was hopefully still in the dining area, and Chica lurking in the opposite hallway. So long as everyone held their positions for the next few minutes he was golden. At the end of the hall a large door, larger than was meant for just people to get through, loomed slightly ajar. A plastic plaque read 'Backstage'. He peeked in through the slight opening, and swept the flashlight beam around. Bonnie had been in their earlier, but it was empty now. He pushed the door open slowly, until it was flush with the wall. Finding nothing homicidal inside, he shut the door behind him quickly.

He was in parts and services.

He had left the office.

Now what?

The weak glow of the flashlight didn't give him many clues. Empty heads and spare parts for the robots littered the walls, shelving, and a service table in the center. A spare guitar, this one faded and dusty, stood in the corner. The room was a bit larger than the camera had shown him. Which did give him a clue he hadn't anticipated.

There was plenty of space in this room to hide from the camera. So why then, did he always spot Bonnie when he came in? If he had a blind spot in this room, how many other blind spots did he have? Why could he always keep track of them?

The tape recording suddenly occurred to him. This was the room they kept the spare suits and parts, naturally if there was going to be any 'stuffing' then this was the place to do it. Hadn't the head of security on the tape asked specifically for this room to be checked. He took a closer look at the floor. Linoleum, not carpet, and not exactly the cleanest linoleum either. The whole place had a thick coating of dust, and a few very large, very old stains that probably could no longer even be bleached out. The largest of which seemed to be formed around an old cabinet in the wall.

Just above the cabinet he could see the blinking light of the camera. Explaining why he'd never seen the doors before. He checked the doors with his flashlight, and found more stains, lighter, like smears. He had the sinking feeling he knew what he would find inside if he opened the cabinet. But he was determined to know what was inside. Danny grasped the handles firmly, and threw the doors open.

The cabinet was empty.

There was no spare suit.

So what were the active animatronics stuffing the night guards into?

The pressure of the haunting suddenly doubled, tripled, quadrupled on top of him. He could smell it- something familiar and stomach turning. The empty cabinet was something important, something he was supposed to find, and now he had to get the hell out of there. He stumbled to the door.

_A green light, quick, flashing, he closes his eyes because of the bright and when he opens them again it's gone. Just a reflection, a camera flash, a glint off the shiny door handle. The door didn't have that handle a moment ago._

Danny pulled the door open and stumbled into the hall, leaving the darkened flashlight behind. He yanked the door shut behind him with a thud. For a moment he just sat there, doubled over in the hall. His stomach slowly stopped jumping around, he caught his breath. He felt a little silly for panicking. There hadn't been anything in that room at all, and all things considered, that wasn't a bad thing. At least the smell was a little better out here.

Wait.

He looked up, and sighed heavily. The strangest thought occurred t him as he took off down the hall just a half second before Foxy came after him.

Thank you, Tetslaff.

The robot was fast, but he had a head start and fifteen feet of leadway, hopefully just enough to get into the office and behind the door. He could hear the heavy footfalls behind him and the working of gears and circuits. He didn't dare look behind him, just kept one steady eye on the light of the office, and the whirring of the fan he could already hear. Foxy lunged, but he dodged to the right, sliding into the office just in time. He turned to hit the door lock-

Bonnie had a steely grip around his middle suddenly, crushing the air right out of him. He could see Chica staring in through the window- and he thought he saw a smirk. He struggled, but Bonnie, a seven foot tall robot made of galvanized steel, was not impressed. His other arm closed around his neck, and if not for his quick reflexes and his left arm, the animatronic might have strangled him. His feet slid across the carpet, and he had a hunch he knew where they were dragging him.

Foxy was waiting outside the office, and Danny was certain he saw the smirk then. The catching was a free-for-all, but it looked like the end of the game was a group activity. He tried struggling again, but to little effect. The smell, not quite the same smell, choked him. He couldn't breathe, one arm nearly crushed, and the full weight of the haunting came crashing down again. Going ghost to escape would only speed up the process, not slow it down, and even if he could, he couldn't open a portal and It would never let him just fly away. He was stuck.

And he knew what was about to happen. And he knew a few people who wouldn't be very happy with him if he let it.

Danny, seventeen and six-foot-two, was not a light weight. Not anymore, and he knew a thing or two about mechanics and about thinking quickly. With the crushing arm around him, he was getting a good close-up of the exposed elbow joint in Bonnie's arm. If his life hadn't depended on it, he might not have noticed right away about the peculiar was that it was formed, or the faint scratches at the joint. Particularly around the pin that engaged the joint. Looking closely, he noticed two joints surrounding the actual arm movement. And a slightly rusty but still serviceable spring.

The robots were spring loaded, the skeletons could be folded back, which meant that simply prying the pin out of the spring would disengage Bonnie's arm entirely. With a flat head screwdriver...

Danny dug around in his pocket and found the screwdriver, just long enough to fit into the exposed joint, and after a moment of fumbling, worked the edge under the head of the pin. They were nearly at the door when he pried the pin loose. Bonnie's left arm went immediately limp, he dropped all his weight at the same moment and simply slipped out of the robot's grasp. With a clank of metal, the pin, still spring loaded popped back into place, and Bonnie got his arm back. But Danny had already rolled underneath the stunned Foxy, and was taking off down the hall. The fox lunged again, but he'd already slid into the office and banged the door shut. Chica was gone.

Danny leaned against the door and caught his breath. He checked his left arm, which was sore but not injured. He really didn't want to have to explain the rug burn.

And the clock read six am.

¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?

I'm back!

Ha! My quarter is over, my finals are done and I don't give a damn if I failed or passed, I finally get to go to sleep again!

On that note, sorry for missing my update, I was in the middle of finals.


	7. Poor Little Souls

Malevolence

chp7- Poor Little Souls

by: Thecolorsofsand

Danny shrugged when the day manager asked him about the rug burn, hiding the folder under his shirt, behind him. He kept the screw driver too, in his pocket. If it came in handy once, chances are it would again. He peeked through the folder on the bus, careful to keep the letter head on the paperwork covered, just in case. There were dozens of incomplete packets of paperwork. Notably with only the information he remembered filling out himself. Every packet had different handwriting and the dates ranged from only a week ago, to the early nineties. The file felt heavy in his hands as he flew home. He was beginning to understand now. Sure, he'd known the whole time, or at least had an idea, but feeling the weight of all those papers...

The people in this folder may not have made it home. They took the same bus he rode, spent the same six hours huddled in the same chair, but not everyone took that same bus home again in the morning. To think of a few people was not so terrible- he'd gotten hard in the years of ghost fighting. A little harder than he meant to get, but the prospect of _so many _people turned his stomach a little. Ghosts in Amity Park caused property damage, had physical presence, were dangerous to the living, influenced the living world; but the ghosts of Amity Park were not killers. The citizens of the ghost zone who had passed from one dimension to the land of the dead gained certain power- the same power he had, the strength to interact and influence the world of the living. The land of the dead made the ghost a new being.

True 'ghosts'- the ghosts that lingered in the living world, no longer alive and not truly dead- did not have that power. The ghost zone made the dead whole again. But the ghosts in the restaurant were stuck. Stuck in the living world because of bad luck or something worse. It gave them little power in this world, and almost zero ability to communicate. Little wonder they decided to take matters into their own hands. They used what little power they had to accomplish their goal.

Of course he still had no idea what that goal was. Or what good killing a bunch of minimum wage workers was going to do. His mother had provided him with a troubling clue as well. If ambient energy from the ghost zone could enter but not exit, and yet the ghosts could not get to the ghost zone from the restaurant, then it would make sense that they were growing more powerful without the usual progression. The concept of the 'collection' was bothering him too. If Clockwork told him that's what it was, then that's what it was. But how did this progress so far without detection? How did it form for that matter? What was keeping it together? Danny tried to put everything together, but honestly, he was tired. He needed to sneak in at least an hour of sleep before he did any critical thinking.

His bed at home was blissfully vacant, and though his father avoided him completely, his mother gave him a sour look and mentioned something about his homework, which was not done, and Dani ignored him; he didn't care. He was making progress. And he got in at least an hour's sleep.

Danny dreamed of children. Some laughing, some crying. They all seemed familiar to him, but he certainly didn't recognize their faces. They all gathered around him and stared. Menacing and sad at the same time. It was a little frightening.

Except he wasn't scared.

They ran again in gym class, and he didn't complain, not even about Valerie and her overdeveloped competitive drive. Lancer gave him 'detention' (with a wink) that afternoon, along with Sam and Tucker. He seemed to be enjoying himself. Which could be interpreted as either a good or bad sign. He'd forgotten his math homework, which wasn't done anyway, and they had 'tacos' for lunch. Proving that someone had it in for him at school as well as work.

But at least life was consistent.

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Sam joined them after class in Lancer's room, looking like she was enjoying the conspiracy. Danny had remembered to bring the folder with him, hoping that his teacher might be able to interpret its contents better than he. Lancer stood at the door for a few minutes, saying his goodbyes to the appropriate students and teachers. Then he closed the door and sat with them in their circle, Tucker with his PDA ready, and Danny with the folder open on the desk. Danny was beginning to think that he was a bad influence on Mr. Lancer.

"So, did you do any snooping around Danny?" Tucker began, eying the folder.

"Yeah." Danny replied. "And I got what I deserved for it too, what did you find out about the robots?" Tucker shrugged dismally.

"Pretty much nothing." He said. "There isn't anything about them at all. If they were as advanced as you say, then they were someone's pet project. As far as I can tell, whoever made them didn't use that same technology anywhere else, just the restaurant. I can tell you that they're not from that store, there were two other stores at least, maybe more, but the only thing I could find out about them was that they existed. Not much else."

"Maybe I can shed some light on that, Mr. Foley." Lancer cut in. He produced a slim folder of his own and pulled out some newspaper clippings. The whole folder seemed to be full of them. "I can see why you think my papers are so difficult. There are other ways to find information, other than the internet you know. It just so happens that I used to work for a newspaper." He held out the clippings for them to see. The first was a want ad- not dissimilar to the one Danny answered himself. But this one was an announcement for a new restaurant- with new and improved technology.

"The first pizzeria opened up in 1981, but closed under heavy litigation after five years. As it turns out, children were starting to go missing after visiting the place. The cases were all settled, and they tried again in 1987." He held up the newspaper clipping. "But that didn't last long either. It was only open a couple of weeks before it had to close again. There were murders." Lancer dug out a computer printout and handed it off to Danny. He read it out loud to the others, a report of the apparent murder of five children within just a few days, reportedly after their abduction from the restaurant.

The conspiratorial air sobered immediately. Danny was saddened but not surprised. The dreams of children laughing, screaming, and watching him tied in perfectly. No wonder every night felt like a game, the children were trying to play with him. At least, a warped version of it. A child spirit was certainly capable of turning something terrifying and deadly into a game.

"The article was written the day the police were called to the restaurant. They never found the children, just like before. But they had reason to believe they'd been killed. They arrested a young man who worked at the pizzeria, but after a while they let him go. The police never found who did it. The restaurant you work in now Daniel, opened in 1988." Danny closed his own folder and handed it over.

"Maybe you can make sense of these. As it turns out, some of the night guards turn up missing, and I'm trying to figure out how many." Lancer took the folder and leafed through the contents. After a moment he began separating the paperwork into little piles.

"This is all tax information for new hires. Some of them have pink slips. But some of them don't have anything but their names and addresses. You said some of the guards are missing?" Danny nodded.

"Uh, yeah. Something like that." Lancer caught the slight hesitation, but let it go.

"Well there's only one completed form here- for a 'Victor Fasbach'. It looks like he transferred from the other store. From '88 to '93 all of this paperwork only specifies 'weekend security' until a 'Mike Schmidt'. Then it's just 'night guard'. Schmidt was find after a weak, but it looks like Fasbach wasn't. Just a little note on his paper work here." Lancer held up the paper packet. Scrawled on the bottom of the top page were the words 'still had key' and '05/93'. "There are a few with the same thing on them. None of them have pink slips." Danny stood and looked over his teacher's shoulder. He had already separated them into piles, those that had obviously been fired, those that had comments written at the bottom of their packets, and those that simply dropped off the face of the earth.

"What are they talking about, 'still had keys'?" Tucker asked, Sam had already gotten out of her seat and followed Danny. For a moment he was quiet, thinking.

"Wait, whens I first got there, the manager was really funny about the keys. He said that he didn't care what I did with the key to the store when I wasn't there, but while I was at work I had to keep the key in the top drawer of the desk." Sam seemed to understand immediately, but Tucker and Danny lagged behind.

"It makes sense." Tucker just looked at her.

"Well, what's going to happen to the key if the night guard keeps it in his pocket, and he ends up getting dragged out of the office?" Realization seemed to pass over both their faces. Lancer, however, was still confused.

"I get the distinct feeling you didn't tell me everything." He said, and shot a sharp look at Danny. They ignored him for a moment, a few looks and silent words passing between them. They had all been friends for so long, each seemed to understand what the other had to say, before they even got the words out. Then they all returned to their seats, Danny sitting down with a huff.

And he told Lancer the whole story.

William Lancer was a lot of things. Some might even say that he was rather brave in the face of danger, and working at Casper High, you had to be. But he was not so used to the thought of risking life and limb on a daily basis. Let alone for minimum wage. He grudgingly accepted that one of his students had taken it upon themselves to play 'superhero' to a town that really did need a little bit of management- Daniel was especially equipped to do so after all. But to hear him very matter-of-factly describe the way possessed robots conspired to swarm and kill him on a nightly basis, was a harrowing experience.

"Does this happen often?" He asked incredulously, looking around at his three most interesting students. "Daniel if you live to see twenty-five I will be genuinely surprised at this point."

"If I live to see graduation I'll be a little bit surprised." The teacher sighed.

"As the only responsible adult who knows about this, I should put a stop to it. But that wouldn't really stop it would it?" All three shook their heads. "So what are you trying to accomplish? Why dig into the history of the restaurant?"

"Danny has to break up all the ghosts and get them to move out of there, or at least stop randomly killing people." Sam said. Danny nodded.

"I wasn't sure at first, but seeing that file pretty much proved it for me. Anyone who was fired survived- but those who weren't probably didn't make it out of there. When I came in, there were old cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, but the carpet was brand-new. Theses ghosts are different than the ghosts you see here in Amity Park, this is the only way that they can communicate with the living. If I were a ghost I could at least figure out what they want, but I'm stuck doing it the hard way, if I don't want to end up just like them."

"So how do you do that?" There were blank stares all the way around. Danny shrugged.

"That's the problem. I don't know. I know that if ghosts don't make it to the ghost zone, there's still the chance they won't fully form as ghosts. I think that if I find out who they are and what they want, I can get them out of there before they do any more damage." Lancer opened his folder again and began pulling out more newspaper articles.

"I had the feeling we'd be talking about ghosts, so I made a list of all the names of the children that died in connection with the restaurant. He handed the list of names to Danny, who glanced over it with growing concern.

"All of them?" He asked.

"So it's claimed. All of these kids were last seen at either a 'Fredbear's Family Diner' or 'Freddy Fazbear's pizzeria'. The bodies were never found, but most of the parents insist that their children could not have left the premises without being seen, and in some cases enough blood was found in the restaurant itself that they probably couldn't have survived it." Sam looked a little sick.

"I can't believe we ate there." She said.

"A lot of people eat there." Lancer said. "Despite the trouble, and there has been plenty of trouble, the pizzeria is actually an incredibly high-profit venture. Fazbear Entertainment Inc. settled with each of these families for a huge amount, but they have at least one store still open. There are others- under different restaurant names with different attractions, but all very high grossing. I think that's why they can afford to hire a new night guard every week. I have the feeling you signed a non-disclosure agreement when you were hired, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I think I remember something like that."

"That is probably why Mr. Foley couldn't find anything related to the restaurants on the internet. Any open cases still in litigation probably wouldn't be disclosed, or had a similar agreement attached to the settlement. I found these names after a night of research."

Danny stared at the names, memorizing them. They all sounded familiar, but he was pretty sure he'd never heard them before. He glanced over at the piles of paperwork and started scribbling down the rest of the names. The list wouldn't be complete, but he'd go through some more paperwork later. It suddenly seemed important that he knew their names. But as he looked them over he had the strange feeling that he had never met these children before. He stood in the doorway, and stood at the window, and though those eyes were blank and dead there was something intelligent looking back at him. Bonnie and Chica had personalities- had opinions and thoughts of their own. But they were not on this list. He wasn't really sure how he knew that.

Danny had no idea what would happen when he agreed to help his girlfriend chaperone her cousin's birthday party. He had no idea that anything was different when Danielle poked her head through the ceiling just a few days ago. But things were different now. Things were different and they would never really be the same again. He wasn't sure if it had anything to do with the collection, or if that was just the problem he had to solve to get through the time. But whether it was the problem or the timing, he still had to figure it out.

He had a unique way of solving problems- usually hitting it until it wasn't a problem any more. Lately that direct and frankly over-aggressive approached was getting him into more trouble that out of it. But he was learning that aggressive behavior was pretty standard for an immature ghost. Not unlike young children either. His arrest by the Observant council, though a fairly obvious attempt at petty revenge against himself and Clockwork was also a wake up call. He couldn't just start hitting Observants until they weren't his problem anymore.

And going back into the pizzeria looking to work the doors and let the robots explain the problem to him was just more immaturity at work. He was going to have to do a little more. He was going to have to risk a little more than a night to work this one out. And maybe that was the whole idea.

"So all of these children died in the restaurant? But these were all in previous location, what about the current one?" Lancer was a little quiet- Sam and Tucker didn't seem to notice that he looked away rather sharply.

"There was one child that went missing at the current location, but he was found a week later still alive. A lot of problems are associated with the name, but the location you're working at now has had relatively few problems. If your building is haunted, I couldn't find anything at that particular spot that would make it that way." For a moment they were all silent. They were learning more, but not really making any real progress.

"So what's the plan?" Tucker asked. "What do we know so far?"

"We know this place is trying to draw Danny in- whether or not it does the same to other ghosts." Sam replied.

"The robots are trying to kill him, and have been trying to kill all the night guards."

"For how long?" Lancer interrupted. "If we knew exactly how long, we might know what set it off." He began rummaging through the paperwork once more, when Danny looked up after a long silence.

"It started at the second pizzeria." He said. "I'm not sure if those are two different incidences, or if it traveled. But that's a pretty big coincidence, having the same kind of haunting doing the same thing to the same people in two places. But if it did follow the store, then it would have been just as big a coincidence that they ended up in a spot that didn't allow ghosts to break into the ghost zone."

"Unless it's the ghosts that are causing it." Tucker said. "Is that even possible?" Danny shrugged, staring at the list of names again. There were names missing, he knew it.

"I suppose if it's possible for some ghosts to open portals, it could be possible for others to keep them closed. That ghost Dani and I fought in the gym could phase through us, but we couldn't phase through it. Maybe it's like that." He shrugged a little. "But that ghost had been in the ghost zone before, so it was complete. These ghosts haven't. That ability would have had to develop over a long time. So why didn't the ghost who started the collection get to the ghost zone? Most ghosts are drawn to natural portals." Each question raised more questions. Lancer pulled out a pencil and began jotting down a few notes on the back of the folder.

"So we know that children died there, but not at the actual location. However, at this location, the robots have been killing or trying to kill the night guards since it opened, and have been at one of the previous locations. We know you can't get to the ghost zone from the restaurant, and that Danny could become part of the collection if he gets too close as a ghost. What do we still need to know?"

"We need to know how to break up the collection, why we can't get to the ghost zone, if the ghosts are the ones doing it, and how to make sure Danny doesn't end up a mindless robot-ghost hunting down minimum wage workers." Tucker said, summing it up rather nicely.

"Anything else?" Lancer responded. The rest of the group thought for a moment, and Danny looked at the list again. What was missing? Not all the names were on there, he knew that for certain. Some of the night guards surely wouldn't be in that file, but something more was missing from the list. There were eleven names, but shouldn't there be one more?

"What was his name? The kid that lived? He's not on the list." Lancer paused, and again Danny got the distinct feeling that he wasn't enjoying the conspiracy anymore.

"I didn't think he was important, seeing as how he didn't die in the restaurant."

"It could still be important." Danny responded. Mr. Lancer cleared his throat and glanced around at his students. Tucker and Sam were starting to see his hesitation now too.

"When I came here today, Danny, honestly I thought that you knew a little more about the restaurant than you do. That's why I researched so far back. But seeing that you went there for another reason entirely; maybe I should talk to you about this alone." He glanced back at his two friends. They looked a little offended, but too curious to interrupt. He looked at his teacher for a moment. He didn't quite understand, but he suddenly had a very sinking feeling. What kind of secret did his teacher find? Whatever he was talking about, it had to do with him. Why else would Mr. Lancer not want to tell his friends?

"I tell these guys everything Mr. Lancer. I try not to keep secrets from them. If you can tell me about it, then they can hear it too." Mr. Lancer hesitated, and the sinking feeling grew. Danny didn't want to imagine the possibilities. Did he know this kid? Did they all know him? Is that why he's so attached to the restaurant?

Mr. Lancer opened up the folder again, and pulled out another newspaper clipping. He read through it for a moment or two, then carefully underlined a few sentences with his pencil. He handed the newspaper clipping over.

"When I found this, I honestly thought that you knew. I assumed that was why you went there in the first place. I couldn't find the original, that was in a smaller newspaper I didn't have time to find. But this one pretty much says it all." Danny read the highlighted lines, and went back over the whole article.

Sam and Tucker watched their best friend's eyes get wide, then his face look a little grim. He read the article twice before he spoke, going over every minute detail the newspaper gave him.

"What is it, Danny?" Sam asked gently. Tucker watched his friend's face closely, and wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"It's me." Danny said. He turned the clipping over and held it up for them to see. Tucker, the closest to him reached for it to read it for himself. "I'm the one who went missing at the restaurant. I'm the one that didn't die." All three just looked at one another, Tucker glancing up at his friend from the page. Sam had scooted over to read it as well. Lancer looked uncomfortable.

"I assumed that you knew. I realize you would have been young enough to not even remember, but I didn't know that it was kept from you, I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Danny said. He meant to sound gentle, but sounded hard instead. "This explains why my parents didn't want me going there, and why they were so angry when I took the job. I think they almost had me once, and they're trying hard to get me again. That's why I'm being sucked in when I get close." He packed up the file and handed it to Tucker.

"You don't remember anything?" He asked. Danny ignored the question.

"See if you can figure out what happened to these guys here." He said. "I have to go see Clockwork." Then he was gone.

It explained so much. It didn't explain much at all. He was stuck in that weird in-between phase again. He didn't have enough information to move forwards or backwards. Clockwork was going to get an earful, whether or not he deserved it. But better he go and yell at someone who wasn't going to be offended than his parents.

That was who he really wanted to yell at. Of course they didn't want him going back after that. Of course they would be angry. But they could have saved him the trouble if they just told him. His father had been so mad, yelling about not listening, not trusting them. Now he knew what Jack had been talking about.

It didn't solve any problems though. Now he knew why he was drawn to the place. Clockwork had said something about learning why he was a ghost. It wasn't the portal accident, that much was clear. This must have something to do with it. The collection, or whatever it was had got a taste of him before. It reacted to him when he got close, because he was familiar. The robots had seemed familiar to him, he just couldn't place the memory. Even the restaurant had a vague familiarity to it. He had to be the one to untangle the web, because it was important to Phantom. If things had gone a little differently, maybe Phantom wouldn't have been Phantom at all.

He was too confused to figure it out now. He couldn't solve this problem the way he solved every other problem. Something so horrific had happened to him as a child he had completely blocked the memory. He'd been to the pizzeria before. His parents wouldn't tell him anything. People had died. Kids had died. He was almost one of them.

Clockwork's tower loomed in the distance, feeling both homey and ominous at the same time. The last time he'd gone there he was scared out of his mind. He was a little scared now too. What had happened to him? He couldn't have been more than four or five at the time. Pain and fear like that left behind scars, even if they couldn't really be seen.

Clockwork was waiting for him, and Phantom wasn't surprised that he was.

It took him exactly one second to realize he had no idea what to say, or exactly what sort of answer he was looking for. So he just waited in the corner of the room for something to occur to him, while Clockwork busied himself with a very large book and what looked like a quill pen.

"So, it was your teacher who told you?" Clockwork asked, even though he knew the answer. Danny nodded blankly. "And you're wondering why you had to hear it from him?" Danny nodded again. The book disappeared at about the time Danny could think to open him mouth, and Clockwork finally looked up at him with those very deep eyes.

"They had every opportunity to tell me. I don't know why they were trying to keep it a secret."

"If it were, say, Danielle, that had been through this, and not yourself, would you have kept it a secret, or told her all the excruciating details?" The question stopped him up, and he knew that he was right. He wouldn't have told her if he didn't have to. He wouldn't put her through any more pain than she needed to go through. But if that was what she needed to know- if she set out to do the same thing he'd set out to do, wouldn't he tell her then?

"If she had to know..."

"Do they know, that you have to know?" Clockwork had a really bad habit of being right all the damn time. He intentionally didn't tell then everything he knew. It meant he didn't have to answer certain questions, but it also meant they couldn't give him certain answers.

"What does this mean, for me?" Danny asked. "Is this what you meant when you said I had to find out why I was a ghost in the first place?"

"That's for you to decide, Daniel. I can't just tell you the answer. You are confused, and you will be for a while longer. But it will make sense. You will solve the problem, just not the way you think." Danny, sitting in his little corner, back against one of the many clanking and groaning gears in his mentor's tower, stared at his hands. He was beginning to bend under the weight of the many questions weighing on him.

"I guess it wouldn't be worth it if it were easy, would it?" Clockwork shook his head.

"No. I can't give you any more help, Daniel, because I can't risk changing your course. The day will come when Phantom is a dear friend of mine. One day, younger ghosts will wonder which of us is more ancient, and your name will carry the same kind of legend mine does. But before we come to that day, you have to struggle a little now. When it's over, it won't seem as though you've struggled over this at all."

"No chance of you letting me go back and not be stupid?" Clockwork smirked at him just a little.

"No chance at all." Danny shook his head.

"If I ask them about it, will I get an answer?" Danny looked at him hopefully, but didn't feel very optimistic.

"Eventually. It will be worth the asking, even if you don't get what you want from them. You've already laid hands on all the answers you need, you just have to remember. Go home and sleep, Danny, you're going to need it. All you will be able to get from me is moral support. And you're going to need more than that before the week is out." Danny sighed heavily, staring at his hands again.

Nothing was easy. Maybe that's what made life worth it, but it still would have been nice to skip the drama. His parents could have told him what happened to him the moment he said he got a job. He could have just told them what was happening before getting that job. He could have just listened to them in the first place and stayed the hell out of that portal just like they told him to.

Maybe he could just crawl into Clockwork's office and sleep for the next forty years.

Eventually he got back on his feet. He would have to confront his parents eventually, and tonight was as good a time as any. They were probably wondering where he had gotten to anyway.

"Thanks Clockwork, I needed that."

"There is one more thing that you need to know, Daniel. You're going to try to save them. You can't."

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His parents were waiting for him already, but it didn't look like they were looking to divulge any information. They both sat at the kitchen table, his mother's hands folded neatly, his father looking bitter.

"You stayed after school?" She asked, as he shut the door behind him.

"Yeah, I had to talk to Lancer about something. About something in particular, actually." He checked his senses and determined Dani was still in the house, just hiding in his bedroom. He felt bad for making her sit through all the awkward conversations they'd had so far since she came.

"We've been waiting for you to come home."

"Sorry. My teacher volunteered to look something up for me, so I stayed after to talk to him about it. Actually I think I need to talk to you guys about it too." He set his backpack down and sat across from then, thankful once again that Jazz wasn't sitting there with them.

"Danny, we're really concerned about you getting this job." Jack didn't seem to want to talk, and Danny wasn't so sure it was a good idea. He sort of wished he could hide upstairs with his 'cousin' and pretend that there was nothing interesting or complicated going on in his life. And he had no idea how to answer his mother.

"You should have told us what you were doing, Danny." Jack said. Danny didn't really know how to answer him either.

"I did tell you. It just happened faster than I thought it would."

"You should have at least asked..."

"And you should have told me what happened there." He interrupted. "Because I had to hear it from Mr. Lancer, and not from my parents." Jack got up and left. And Danny felt like an even bigger ass. He sighed and put his head down on the table. Maddie just sat there, torn between going after her husband and glaring at her son.

"You were just a baby Daniel. You forgot, and thank god you forgot all about it, because no one should have to live with that. Why would we remind you of that?"

"What happened Mom?" But she was already getting up. Danny sighed to himself. He'd do pretty well just duct-taping his mouth shut during these conversations. He leaned back in his chair and put his hands in his pockets.

He had entirely forgotten about the newspaper clipping until his hand closed around it in his pocket. Danny pulled it out and gave it a closer look. It was an oddly shaped clipping, scotch tape holding together the article clipped from different sections of the same paper. It handiest made headlines, but the title was very boldly and simply stated. _4 year-old still missing from restaurant._

Thank-you Clockwork.

_Parents of 4 year old Daniel James Fenton are pleading with the public and employees of local pizzeria Freddy Fazbear's to come forward with any information about their son's whereabouts. Danny Fenton with his sister and two parents Jack and Maddie Fenton visited Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Monday evening to attend the birthday party of one of Danny's young friends._

_ "I always sit and watch the doors" Jack Fenton told the police. "So I know he didn't leave the building. Not on his own." Despite the fathers claims, a search of the restaurant yielded no results. Police, when asked to comment, insisted that security tapes had been checked and the boy was not seen leaving the store. _

_ "We thought that it was safe- we never should have taken our eyes off him for a moment." Says mother Maddie Fenton. The family called police after employees could not find the child. "We were getting ready to leave, and we called for him and looked everywhere, but we just couldn't find him." The restaurant was closed and the entire location searched thoroughly- but this morning the child is still missing, and the distraught parents are begging for any sign of their son. The family insists that they have not given up hope, but with Fazbear Entertainment Inc. already involved in settlements with several families regarding the disappearances of several children at two previous locations, the outlook is rather grim. 6 year old Jasmine Fenton, Daniel's sister had this to say: "We miss you Danny, please come home."_

He carefully folded the paper up and put it in his pocket. Clockwork had told him he'd already put his hand on the answer, he just had to remember. And it had told him everything he needed to know, even though his mother and father hadn't been willing to talk. He sighed again. He wasn't going to get his homework done tonight. He needed a few hours of sleep before work. Because their little game wasn't a game anymore.

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The doors were dark, and the restaurant was no longer looming and frightening, but sagging and sad. He tried to imagine it as it must have looked to him when he was so young. He didn't remember what happened to him then, but he had no doubt he had forgotten for a reason. It had certainly hurt his family enough. The lock always stuck and the key ground inside when he turned it. It seemed unreasonable loud in the quiet. The robots were waiting behind the closed curtain, he could almost feeling where they were going to pop up next. They had always been frightening and unnerving, but now, they were washed and thin to him. How many times did they make that same trek through the halls? How many times were the doors slammed in their faces? When it was him alone in there, did they make those same rounds then?

He didn't waste any time getting to the office. Last night was hard, and tonight was going to be even harder. The thrill was gone, but so was the fear. He'd lived through these nights before. Even if he wasn't sure how or what had happened. He sat down in that old, creaking, swivel seat, and unplugged the fan. The noise from that thing was already driving him crazy. He wasn't sure exactly what he needed to do, but he'd know it when it came.

And the clock said 12:00.

Things weren't going well. He'd hardly opened one door before the other had to be closed again. Chica twitched as she stared at the him from the opposite hall. A distraction, because Bonnie was circling around again and Foxy had already come for him twice. Freddy had moved from the stage, which he had never done for him before. And every time he reached for the door, there was a vague but undeniable tug.

_Open the door._

He wanted it. He knew what it meant and he wanted it still.

Danny slammed the door in Chica's face and peeked down the other hallway. Bonnie was backstage, Freddy rummaging around in the kitchen, Foxy half-way out of

pirate cove. But he wasn't alone. He panicked and slammed the other door shut when it hit him The smell, the smell he did not remember but knew so intimately, the whirring of old gears and old springs, like Clockwork's tower. For a moment he couldn't see.

_It'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'sme He couldn't seem to make a sound, but he could hear. Life was all around him, music, the laughing of children. Everyone was so happy, and no one could hear his misery. It'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'sme It'smeit'smeIt'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'sme It'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'sme He could feel it all around him, it hurt, it hurt so much but it was safe. Something terrible and evil could hurt him out there, but here it was safe. It'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit's It'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'sme It'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'smeit'sme._

_ Open the door!_

He hit the button before he even realized what had happened to him. His fingers reacted on their own as though he had no control. The door slid open and it was Chica who reached in and grabbed him.

It happened so fast he wasn't even sure it really had until he felt the grimy fabric and cold metal underneath, until he smelled her and heard that faint mechanical whirring in her robotic head. As she dragged him from the office, hand clamped over his face, he heard a crackling and the sound of the restaurant powering down. The lights went out, the air conditioning kicked off, and he heard very distinctive footsteps coming down the hall, along with a tinkling music box tune he'd heard before.

Ah crap.

He had the screwdriver out again, but he couldn't see enough to work it. He let all his weight drop, but Chica had a lower center of gravity, he slipped but she didn't give up her grip on him. He got his feet under himself again before he lost his shoe. He could fight all he wanted, and he did fight, but it wasn't going to matter one bit. No normal human being could get loose.

He had the fleeting thought that he had forgotten to put the key in the desk drawer. It was still in his pocket. Now he understood exactly why they had that rule. Chica dragged him down the hall, and when Freddy got his hands on him, he knew who it was.

_He knew those hands. Crushing, snapping springs and wires, squeeized too tight in places too small. The mess they left behind, not as beg a mess as you'd think. They way they fought, but rules were rules. What It said had to be done. A freedom that wasn't really freedom at all- but there was clarity there. The whole mess straightened out, lined up right before their eyes. Friends that he knew, knew so well. There was danger here, but not for him. His friends had never hurt him before. It was here._

And then it was six am.

Danny was left half-way to the parts and services room, sitting in the middle of the hall as though nothing had happened. The robots were gone. A few bruises from Freddy's large hands, more rug burn from Chica. He hadn't even seen Bonnie or Foxy but he was fairly certain they had been there. They knew how to work together. He slowly picked himself up, groaning a little. He was going to be very stiff this time tomorrow.

Or maybe he wouldn't.

Because now he knew what he was going to have to do. The thought was a little bit sickening. But that didn't change anything. He went back for the screwdriver, plugged the fan back in and waited at the front door for the day manager. The man was nervous as always, and Danny tried to seem just as chipper as always, but he was tired. Tired in a completely different kind of way.

"Rough night?" The man asked, glancing towards the show stage, the curtains were closed again, and there was no signs of movement. Danny shrugged.

"You could say that." He said. The manager cleared his throat, and glanced back at the stage. Danny wondered if he did that all day long, or just when he was alone.

"I uh, wanted to ask you about this weekend. Should I be looking for a weekend guy, or do you think you can uh, be available?" The man cleared his throat again, but this time he glanced at the rug burn now forming on his arms.

"I'm not sure honestly. I will... be here tomorrow, but I might have to leave early. You might not see me when you get here tomorrow morning." The man nodded, but he looked a little sick. Danny had the feeling he'd had the experience several times before.

"Not thinking of walking out on us, are you?"

"Of course not, the farthest thing from actually." They both glanced back at the stage this time, and they were both a little nervous.

It wasn't going to be easy. It wasn't going to be pleasant. It might not even be the right thing to do. But it was the only thing left.

Tomorrow night, he was going to get caught for real.

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Hello again! It's me!

Sorry about being so late again. I was on break, but the stomach flu and moving got in the way. But I'm back and super excited to move on to chapter eight, it's going to be awesome. Thank you so much to every one who has reviewed and all of my wonderful followers.

I'll see you next time...


	8. Been in This Place Before

Malevolence

chp 8- You've Been in This Place Before

by: TheColorsofSand

The world was a strange gray blur that whirled around him. He moved slowly, but time all around him was whizzing by, bringing him ever closer to the time when he'd be right back at the restaurant again. The bus driver said something to him as he climbed aboard, but he didn't really hear him. The man looked a little like he wasn't expecting him to. He sat and watched the pizzeria fade into the distance. He'd been there before. He'd be there again, but he genuinely hoped that he wouldn't be there forever.

He liked to think he knew lies from the truth. He'd been lied to enough, told enough lies to know them when he heard them. But he didn't think what he saw had been a lie. For a very brief moment he was told in no uncertain terms how to solve the problem, how to figure it out. He had to trust that. He had to trust himself.

Clockwork wouldn't give him any more information, and if he hadn't warned him about this course, then he knew it was the one to take. If it had to happen, then it had to happen. Better he knew what he was doing than be taken by surprise. At least, that was what he hoped. Because if that wasn't the case...

He would have to tell his parents, Dani, Sam, Tucker, he'd probably tell Mr. Lancer too. But he wasn't sure he could stand to tell them the whole truth. It was something he had to do, and he couldn't let them stop him. The knowledge was surreal. This time tomorrow he did not know where he would be, perhaps even if he would be himself at all.

He took his time flying home. Flying was the best part of life, really. He could go anywhere he wanted, even if all he wanted was Amity Park. There were parts of the ghost zone, too, that he enjoyed visiting just to fly around. So he went there too, because he could, and he didn't want to think about the possibility of not being able to again.

When he got home, he didn't go back to bed. He caught Dani just as she was getting up, though. Her hair still, frazzled, still in an old pair of his pajamas- she looked deceptively small. He always wanted to think of her as small, little; it made it easier to think of her as his.

"What are you staring at?" She asked sleepily, smirking at him from the stairs.

"Just wondering how long Mom's been hiding those pajamas." He replied. She sat down heavily on the couch and pulled a throw pillow into her lap. Danny wondered what the other ghosts would think if they could see her like this. He wondered if Nocturne had seen her like this.

"How did it go tonight? I see you're still alive."

"For the moment." He sat down next to her. The self doubt was crushing, but he couldn't give in. Still, just in case, he hugged her tightly. She squeaked, taken by surprise; but after a moment, hugged him just as tightly.

Danny wasn't sure if Dani was his cousin, his sister, or something else entirely, but she was _his_, and that was good enough. She was strong enough to take care of things in his absence. No matter how long that absence may be.

"I might be gone, for a while. I'm not sure how long yet. You'll take care of things for me, won't you?"

"Sure." She said. "What's going on?" Her voice was full of concern. He shook his head and released her.

"Just more crap. I just figured out I'm going to have to take a few risks, that's all. I just didn't want to worry about what was going on at home while I did." She seemed to understand, but her face fell just a little.

"Just don't get yourself into more trouble than you can get yourself out of. I might just decide not to bail you out this time." She said, nose in the air and a nervous smile on her face. The message was pretty clear, and he kissed the top of her head.

"I'll get back home, if it takes me a hundred years." He said. Something was still there, but they both had to let it go for the moment. Whatever still had to be said, would have to wait. He ruffled her already messy hair and stood.

His mother and father were still avoiding him, and he wasn't surprised. The shower was miraculously unoccupied, and when he finally got out, they were both in the lab. The door was locked- not really meant to keep him out, just give him the message that they didn't have anything to say. He left them a note on the kitchen table, along with his cell phone. He wouldn't be coming back tonight, and he wouldn't be taking any calls, he was a little afraid he'd chicken out if given half the chance. He did his homework, just to convince himself it was going to matter by this time tomorrow- and went to school.

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It was like a commercial on TV, maybe for some prescription or something. Someone stands on a busy street, looking concerned about their crohn's disease, or overactive bladder, or unwanted hair while the people all walked by in fast-forward, leaving streaks behind them, sometimes even in gray scale. Demonstrating how the world could pass you by while you're held- up worrying about whatever ailment their pill will surely solve.

Danny felt like that person.

Just standing there, in Casper High, watching everyone streak by in gray scale. The impending doom looming just beyond the familiar walls. Everyone knew where they would be next week. Right back here in these halls- worrying about a math assignment, putting off history projects, wondering if that party will be as great as they said it would be. But Danny didn't know that.

He was scared, and not of death, but of not knowing for sure.

He told Sam and Tucker. Neither were very happy about it, but he sat Sam in his lap during lunch anyway, and took every opportunity to look at her as though he'd never see her again. Tucker was like his brother and he told him so. He promised he'd be fine, but the doubt was still there.

But they'd faced that kind of doubt together before.

He gave Lancer the short version, turned in his homework and cut out early. There was still someone that he needed to see.

Jazz was still top of her class, much to the dismay of the rest of her class. In a field still dominated by older men, Jasmine Fenton was getting to be a more interesting player as she began to finish her coursework a little early. She even made it home most weekends. But Danny couldn't wait for her this time. He opened a portal and took the short cut to her east-coast school through the ghost zone. He snuck into her cramped dorm room, and waited for her to finish class.

From what he could see of her dorm, he wasn't looking forward to college life. At least not the sleeping arrangements. The tiny room had two of everything, and only room to fit one. Of course 'everything' generally meant a bed, a desk, and half a closet. The room had been divided exactly in half, on one side, a general disorganized mess of toiletries and moderately expensive clothing, the other side packed tightly but neatly with notebooks, texts, and office supplies. He had a feeling he knew which belonged to his anal-retentive sister.

He sat on her bed to wait, and heard the unmistakable rusting of paper that he so often associated with Jazz. He found a stack of paper in a manila envelope hidden under her pillow. Her first book, apparently, if the red script and little heart on the envelope could be believed. Danny opened the envelope and slid out the stack.

The manuscript was a mess of red pencil and highlighter. The only page untouched was the title page: _Why They Stay: psychology of the ghosts of adolescents_. He couldn't help but smile. His half-life had crept into the lives of everyone he knew, and he had never really meant to turn anyone's course. But Jazz had only taken it in stride. Her dream to become some kind of big-shot psychiatrist or psychologist or whatever was still on course- and the field of ghost psychology had room for big-shots. He leafed through it for a while. It was obviously incomplete, a few sections were only summaries, and most of it was too technical for him to grasp.

But he knew it was good. And he knew he'd be in serious trouble if he wasn't there to provide her with the appropriate quotes in the appropriate places. Or be there for her first lecture or whatever it was you did when your textbook became popular. She wasn't going to be very happy with him either, but more than even Sam or Tucker, she understood who and what he was a little better. And she would remember what happened at the restaurant.

He stacked the manuscript neatly and put it back in the envelope, sliding it under her pillow. He could hear footsteps outside the door, and the sound on a key in the lock. The door swung open, but Jazz wasn't alone. Her roommate, mid open-mouth laugh startled just a little at the sight of a complete stranger in her bedroom. She paused, then rolled her eyes.

"Jasmine, there's a man waiting for you in your bed!" She shouted down the hall, then she turned back to him. "I'm just going to get my purse and I'll be out of the way." She rummaged through her mess as his sister's footsteps thundered down the hall. She burst in through the door, looking a little angry, before Danny had the chance to correct her.

"Who in the hell... Danny!" Her roommate gave her the thumbs up and waved. "Gross, that's my brother." Jazz said. "My _little_ brother." But she was already gone, and none too soon.

It would have been a lot funnier if it hadn't been pretty gross.

Jazz slammed the door shut behind her roommate, and Danny got the distinct feeling that they didn't get along very well. Jazz huffed angrily and turned the lock on the door. From the look of the other girl, and her side of the room, she and his older sister didn't have much in common. But with the roommate gone, and the surprise more or less evaporated, she sat next to him on the bed and hugged him.

"Mom called and told me you were being stupid." She said matter-of-factly. "I figured that was why you were here." There was a time that would have made him mad, but he and Jazz generally stopped being angry with each other a long time ago.

"Something like that. I just wanted to tell you everything that happened this week myself, before I went off to be stupid and something bad happened."

He told her the whole story before he even realized he'd decided to tell her the whole story. She listened without interruption, but the little frown she was trying to hide told him most of what he needed to know. When it was finally over she nodded very wisely, and slapped him on the back of the head.

"Ouch, why don't you tell me how you really feel, Jazz?" He rubbed the back of his head and was taken by surprise when his sister pulled him into a hug again. For a moment he hugged her, and was reminded again of the trouble he'd be in if he didn't make sure everything turned out all right. But he didn't come here just for moral support. Jazz had information he wouldn't be getting from his parents.

"Jazz, what do you remember about the time I was missing? I don't think Mom and Dad are ever going to give me a straight answer." She sighed and sat back.

"I don't remember a lot really, I was only six or seven years old when it happened. I remember that day though. We were at the restaurant for a lot longer than we were supposed to be, then there was a lot of police and flashing lights. By the time we went home it was midnight, Mom and Dad were crying and you weren't with us. For the first two days they told me that you went home with a friend, but I knew they didn't know where you were."

"They said I was missing for a week."

"Five days. They kept me out of school, Dad took me to every ice cream place and toy store in the whole town. I think he felt really guilty about it. Mom just sat at home next to the phone. Every time it rang she'd jump and grab it in case it was the police calling about you. Then one morning Dad grabs me out of bed and we drive down to the hospital like it's trying to run away from us- and you were there. They wouldn't tell me what was going on, just that you were 'sick' but I got the feeling that you almost died." Danny nodded to himself.

"I don't remember anything. I've been having really weird dreams for the past two weeks, but honestly I don't remember anything of those either. I know it's really important, but right now I'm stuck trying to pry information out of Mom and Dad. And honestly- they're pretty pissed at me right now." Jazz put an arm around him, and he could feel the wear and tear that he was putting on her too. She really did understand better, and that meant she felt even more than they did. He felt a little guilty for piling his problems on her. But he'd feel even more guilty if he hadn't.

"Give them a break. It's hard for parents to accept that their children can take care of themselves, especially when it's true. Dad will feel guilty, and he'll think that you blame him for not protecting you. You have to give them both time to decide if they want to feel defensive or guilt-ridden. Then we can go from there." Danny checked his watch, and Jazz noticed the gesture. She hugged him tightly.

"Just be okay, that's all I ask. I'll be there if you need me, just make sure that you are too."

"Thanks Jazz. It'll turn out alright. I trust Clockwork, mostly, at least." She chuckled along with him, trying to hide that she was tearing up.

"I talked to one of my professors, finally told him that you were my brother. So you have to come back- because I promised I'd introduce you to him." They both laughed, but they weren't really sure why.

"Great, I have getting grilled by a ghost psychologist to look forward to." For a few minutes they were both quiet, trying to think of some way to say goodbye, and afraid saying goodbye would mean goodbye for good. Finally, Danny had to just stand a leave.

He didn't tell her he knew about her book. That was a conversation for after he knew he'd be coming home again. He left, but he didn't go back to Amity Park right away. Instead he wandered around the ghost zone- even visited with Frostbite, and popped in on Dora. He refused to go to Clockwork. There wasn't anything that he could do for him at the moment, and his primary focus was forgetting what he was about to do. His mentor would only remind him. He even considered for a moment going to see Nocturne, but decided against it. Eventually they would have to learn to get along. Just not today.

But eventually, he couldn't stall. He had to go back to work.

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The key ground in the lock. The sound was unreasonably loud in the very quiet night. The silence was even more consuming inside. The curtains were open tonight, almost in anticipation. For a moment he looked them over while he had the chance. He was early- early enough he didn't have to worry about them for a while. He had a thing or two to get done before the fireworks. But at the moment, he just wanted to get a good look while he had the upper hand.

Freddy was the one to watch out for, and he knew it. But standing there, inert, even in the dark he didn't look terribly threatening. As a matter of fact he looked perfectly friendly. Bonnie was downright cute if you looked hard enough. Chica had a smart-ass kind of air about her. He wanted to peek in on Foxy, but there wasn't time. He had to check backstage first.

The door swung open, and between his flashlight and the open door he could see the cabinet under the security camera that he was so interested in. He threw the doors open confidently, not even sure what he was expecting to find.

But the cabinet remained empty. He felt along the back wall of the little cubby. It was built to hold one or two of the robots, but remained empty. He could almost feel the unanswered question in his finger tips as he checked the edges and hinges. The wall was not hollow, in fact it was even harder than the wall on the other side. After a few moments he sighed. This wasn't anything he could figure out right now. The empty cabinet was important, he just wasn't sure why. If it was designed to hold spare suits, where were they? How many more blind spots did his cameras have?

He took one last look and shut the doors. It was almost time to get started. If the empty cubby was important- then he would figure it out later tonight.

He hoped.

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Night five was getting more and more brutal as the night crept on. He had wanted to get it over with, but he feared that he was slowly but surely chickening out. Unfortunately, whether or not he was ready didn't seem to matter, because the robots were going to get in tonight. They had learned his routine- learned the way he flipped through the camera feed, and where he would be predicting they would move next. Freddy was already coming for him- he had to keep one door closed all the time now, because Foxy had hardly retreated before he was racing down the hall again. Power was getting low.

He didn't have to win. Just the opposite- he was going to lose. He needed to. Because it was the only way he was ever going to solve the problem. It was the only way he was going to be free of the nightmares, the only way he was going to be whole. At four AM it had finally dawned on him that he was drawn to Freddy's just as much as it was drawn to him- and even it he left now, even if it never touched him again, he would always want to come back.

In his soul, he would want to come back.

He felt the last bit of regret. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea- maybe he needed to wait and see what came next. Maybe Clockwork never meant for him to do this. Foxy banged on the door again, Chica stared in the window. He could hear Freddy's music box tinkling on the other side of the door. He couldn't see any of them on the cameras. Power had wound down to almost nothing. He had no choice anymore. Even if he didn't want to go- it was time. It was time to give up control, and let fate intervene. His hands were shaking.

Danny Fenton took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and opened the doors.

It wasn't a rush, not really. There was noise, they let loose an awful sort of scream that rattled around inside his head. They crowded, but let Freddy grab him, and as one unit dragged him towards the backstage. He didn't struggle, even though he wanted to, he let them drag him bodily down the hall and through the door.

The key was in the drawer, along with the flashlight and the screwdriver. He had nothing to defend himself with so that he wouldn't be tempted to try it. He would have preferred to keep his eyes closed, but he needed to see what was happening; what had happened to many others before him.

In the dim lights he could see that cabinet standing open. He heard the dismal sound of the power dying. For a moment, he wasn't sure what they were doing with him, then he saw It. He knew the smell, he knew the feeling, but he'd never seen It before: another suit- Freddy, he was sure, but golden yellow, slumped in the center of the room. It was empty, but It wasn't, and that was where he was going to go.

It was surreal, everything went quiet as Bonnie and Chica lifted it almost reverently. He could feel the room become crowded- there were other ghosts watching, lots of others, they just couldn't make themselves seen. Freddy pushed him closer, grip far too iron to waiver now. He heart thudded so hard against his sternum, he was sure it would give out long before Freddy stopped it for him. He felt the tug, the whirling vortex of the haunting all around him- that sucking black hole that just five short nights ago had frightened him so. It was time.

Danny closed his eyes, and went ghost.

For a moment, there was nothing. The absolute silence was poignant. He was merely hovering there, somewhere in the universe, completely void.

Then he fell.

He fell into the massive collection of ghosts, into the suit, into _the collective_, and the noise hit him. The roar of voices, all the voices of the collective washed over him, deafening. The laughing, the screaming, begging, pleading, chattering, horrified, delighted, whispering to him. There were so many, so many of them, too many for him to even distinguish where one ended and the other began.

Freddy shoved him into the suit- and for a single moment he felt the wall of It. It was the anchor, It was the net, It was the chains and the manacles that held the collection together, held the ghosts down and squashed them into this pit. It was anger and anguish and misery all at once, and every ghost and man that touched it could feel the misery for themselves. It burned to touch- cold enough to blacken and crack anything that got too close, and he felt the cold as he was pressed into it.

He couldn't fight It. He wanted to, but there was no fighting anymore. Danny was paralyzed pressed against the anger and hatred and misery that was stronger than anything he had ever seen or felt before. Anger that swelled and consumed, cold rage that destroyed and terrified. The depths of that horrifying rage opened up like Hell- and all that fell into it were damned. And Danny fell into It like all the others had.

_Impotent rage, frustration so consuming and maddening that going mad was the only respite. They left It, but not alone- and that thing in the dark was responsible. No one could hear It. There was no moving, all It could do was watch._

_ It could feel her- waiting and hovering, hoping for something, for a friend, for a chance to be anything but lonely, just like she had always been. She was just a little girl, and It was just as lonely as she was. They reached each other, and held fast in the dark._

_ Impotent rage. She moves, she speaks, she laughs and sees, and they gave her something of her very own. It has nothing. A shell by accident. A shield, a fortress, a battlement from which It watches. The one responsible- that thing in the dark within reach, looking and laughing and It lacks even the simple movement that would avenge all their misery and pain. It watches, and the one responsible laughs at It._

_ She can move. It cannot. She has something of her very own, made just for her, and inside she does as she pleases. It struggles. It Struggles, and she learns to lean in close to her only friend and listen to what It says._

_ She is powerful- and It knows that sort of power that she has. When more come, It whispers to her and she comforts the lost souls that have come to be her friends._

_ Anger, so deep that no bottom exists any longer. They are angry too, all of them. They cling to her and her power, and she listens to each word It whispers and she knows, as they all do who is responsible._

_ Their friends come. Together they create them. They were made for others, but they took them as their own. She loves them, and they love her. They surround the lost and keep them safe. When they are there, no children are afraid anymore. No longer afraid to reach and mete out the justice that is desperately needed. It whispers to them and they listen. It whispers to her and she listens. The children aren't afraid of It._

_ The anger is justified.__ The viciousness is necessary. It whispers, then demands, but more join them anyway, and it's no longer about justice. Now it is about revenge. The children no longer cling to her, her power draws them and holds them. It whispers and she listens- no soul will be released from this pit._

_The hinges on the door made a soft, high-pitched noise. It sighed as it swung past the door jamb and back again. He turned to watch the door swing shut again and giggled a little. He'd ever really been alone before. Not like this. Mom and Dad didn't even know he was gone. He was absolutely tickled. The large, bulky form __lay just beyond his vision, still, yet__ beckon__ing__ him further down the hall. He r__a__n to __see, but it was gone__. No one ever let him explore like this- but he could now. He fo__und__ another door._

_A bright light, bright enough that he closed his eyes as he entered.__ The sound of the heavy latch latching and locking was not foreboding; it was like a secret. __The door was not the same on the inside as it was on the outside. __It didn't seem unusual for the door to close behind him. He wasn't afraid of the dark. And it was dark. The figure rustles around behind him, but he is far more interested in the dark shapes on the walls and the floor. It was a lot like Mom and Dad's basement. A lot like all the things he wasn't allowed to touch. _

_ He was too young to understand what was happening when he discovered that he was not alone. He screamed, but no one could hear him. Children everywhere were screaming. They laughed, they cried, they shouted and sang and shrieked, and no one could hear his pain. His mouth was covered anyway. He bit down, hard, on the fingers in his mouth and whatever had hurt him before hurt him again. He cried, but he was quiet. The pain squeezed all the air out of his lungs. It was too dark to see and his heart pounding in his ears was too loud to hear over._

_ He wanted his Dad._

_ He wanted his Mom._

_ Jazzy would know what to do._

_ But he didn't have a whole lot of time left to think. He couldn't see the blows land, but he could feel the beating. He might have screamed again, but it didn't matter. Because no one was listening. No one was coming for him. There was no one to protect him._

_ It hurt. Every wound cried out for attention. He cried, but his voice was so far beyond now. He arm, crammed inside a small opening, torn from it's socket, wrenched back and forth with each involuntary movement. Eventually he stopped crying, eventually he stopped trying to escape his tiny prison, eventually it wasn't really a prison anymore._

_ He slept most of the time. Music played sometimes, and he knew it was just for him. A friend that came to comfort him when the faraway pain crept too close again. He liked the numbness of sleep, but feared it too. Because he felt it when he slept- something angry and cold creeping closer and closer._

_ He was almost always asleep when friends came for him. That angry, cold thing was there again, but friends came to hold it back. They didn't want him to be angry. The music that was just for him played all night, until the heavy glare of the lights interrupted the familiar darkness. _

_ The heavy steel door rattles on it's track, and bangs against the ground. The sound echoes. They had to get inside. It wasn't something he understood. But he knew their desperation as though it were his own. It would never hurt again- that's what they seemed to tell him. It will never hurt again. It will never hurt anyone again._

_He didn't want to leave his friends anymore. He didn't want to leave his tiny home that no longer hurt him. He didn't want to go, not really. But he knew, somehow, that there was no other choice. He could leave forever, or return to his friends one day._

_ But he couldn't stay._

_ "Son? Danny, come on now, we know you're in there somewhere."_

_ "Good boy. Everything is okay now, we're going to take you home soon." The bright lights have broken the darkness. It's never dark any more. People are everywhere, but his friends are all gone. The angry thing is gone too, and he finds that he can't really be angry about anything at all. For days he tries to remember whose great hands were on his head, holding his own hand. He wonders who the large, comforting form looming over him really is, and it isn't until he finally wakes from his long, long sleep that he remembers _Daddy_. His friends are all forgotten._

They all flashed before his eyes. The faces of the children, a dozen of them, but they were not alone. Men, boys, young women not really deserving, but not really innocent either. And something else, a face that was not a face, a face that morphed and warped throughout the years. The names rushed over him too, every name- he knew them all now. Every soul trapped in the hell-pit that had no end.

The memory followed, and he whole soul swelled with the knowledge of every night. Each guard, each child, each unfortunate soul fed to the need, the game. He remembered them all and how they ended. The sliding of the door and the panic of the people inside. It was unfortunate, because they were not the one that deserved it- but they had to be sacrificed anyway. It had to stop, and there was only one way to stop it now.

It was laid out before Danny- surging into his own mind as though the memories were his own. Victor Fasbach flashed in his mind again and he remembered the anger and sadness. He remembered the pain of the children that It was powerless to save. And he remembered the night that everything came together. The night they finally got the justice that they deserved; and he remembered every night afterward.

Memories crashing in from the collective all around him. Inside the suit, he could feel It, wrapped around him and pressing in from all directions. He couldn't think, he could hardly feel, he could hear screaming that sounded vaguely like his own. An ocean of time and consciousness poured into his open mind, and for the first time he really understood what was happening around him.

He remembered those five nights that he had forgotten.

He remembered the face of the man who tried to destroy him.

He remembered why, the day of that fateful accident he became a ghost.

And he realized something else...

The crashing wave finally stopped and calmed. The voices faded. The dark room returned and Phantom was there, standing among the quiet, still robots. No apprehension, no fear, because It was here. And he knew It better than he knew anything. The empty suit lay crumpled on the floor; now truly empty because It was free to move at last. It had all that It needed to _become_. And now, so did Danny.

When he turned to look It in the eye for the very first time, Danny was not surprised by what he saw, nor was he afraid; because when they touched each other for the first time they were finally complete.

He turned and saw himself- Phantom, warped and twisted, but Phantom nonetheless. The confinement in the spring-suit had made him ugly- in face and deed and thought, but now it could be different. Because the part of him that lived took the part the remembered how to forgive, how to forget, what justice was in comparison to revenge, and the part that stayed had taken all the rage and the betrayal and the obsession that had fueled the horrible things that had happened within these sad walls.

The time had come to be whole at last.

He had never needed to fear- because he was already home. There was no danger for him, only clarity. He could reach out to himself, who had been lost and ignored for so many years, and they didn't have to be half of anything anymore.

At the touch the image faded, and It dropped easily into his hand. Light, heavy, but without substance sat in the palm of his hand and he knew what he had to do. Without hesitation he swallowed it.

_He had not listened to his father. 'Just stay where we can see you', but he willfully broke his promise, and the moment he could duck away he was gone. It was something both odd and familiar that caught his eye behind that swinging door. He was drawn to it. Enough to disregard the words of his mother and father and follow beyond that door. He caught only glimpses of it- yellow and soft-looking, crumpled in corners as though helpless, but every corner turned it was further away. When he came to the last door he didn't hesitate, because he knew it couldn't get away this time._

_ He pushed open the door and the bright light blinded him. Something swirling and cold. He didn't have to go through because it pulled him in. '_I have already helped you_'. When he opened his eyes again it was dark, and the room he stood in was not the one that he had entered. The door latched behind him._

_ He found what he was looking for, not helpless now, but standing almost stately in the corner. The attack that came he was not expecting, and the darkness was in his head __instead of the room around him. When he woke he was trapped- and he would remain trapped._

_When the blue light came again, the part of him left alive did not have long. He passed him through to the outstretched arms that he knew would deliver him to some safety or other. But not all of him could make the trip. He waited for the chance to lash out at the one who had caused it all. He had to make sure he didn't make it one night longer._

_ Because the Victor Fasbach of 1977 could not live to see 1993. His life depended on it. _

_ When he found her, the poor little thing that inhabited the lonely rift between life and death, unable to continue. They became fast, because he was not whole, and he needed her if he was ever going to be whole again. Her power healed what was left of him. Her power stuck him to the instrument that would gain him his eventual freedom. With it, he would make sure they would be the only two to feel that despondent torture that he had done to them._

_ It was slow, but he became aware of himself, of her, of the others that eventually joined them. He had the plan, and the others listened. He couldn't make them understand the _why_ but it didn't matter, because they all had reason to see that man join them. And he would. They'd take him just like he had taken them and he would live the rest of eternity in the misery that they knew._

_ But they only had a few years. Every night was one night lost. If they let him live much longer, he had no hope; broken and halved, he'd fall apart if the small part of him that lived died now. _

_ And if he fell apart, what of all the others?_

The collection stretched out all around him. The children who lost their lives, the men and women sacrificed in the pursuit of the one that had killed them, the man that made this pain necessary, seething just beyond them, the constructions of the children meant to protect them, still housed in decaying robots, and _her_; the first and most beautiful of all the unfortunate to lose their lives- the girl who had become his friend and most beloved partner.

He swelled with it- all the power in the world seemed to crash into him. He was too small, too weak to hold it. He felt his seams coming undone, expanding to hold them all. He was himself at last. And now he knew why everything had been.

His mother and father could not find him because he had not been there at all. The light he had seen as a child was a portal that would later become familiar to him. Clockwork had intervened- if the Victor Fasbach of 1993 had discovered him, then he would have died that day, and everything would have fallen apart.

The Victor Fasbach of decades earlier had all the viciousness of youth, without the efficiency of age. He survived, hidden inside his little prison, unaware that one had fallen before him. His living part survived, passed back through the portal that his future friend provided, but part of him had to stay behind.

Because part of him had to be sure his living half stayed alive. They had to kill the night guard. He remained through the many years and many disasters. When it was time to be whole again, he knew. And now he'd never be fractured again.

Now he understood _Transformante_. He knew who Phantom was.

Suddenly, it didn't matter what time it was.

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Hello everyone!

I am so excited to see that I have 25 new followers for this story. You guys are all awesome. This didn't turn out quite like I wanted, but I'm going with the flow-it's supposed to be a little confusing. Chp 9 soon!


	9. Lost All Control

Malevolence

chp 9- Lost All Control

TheColorsofSand

The Phantom, at long last, was himself. The world was colored in all it's proper colors, the light of the pre-dawn in the early morning was all that was required. Because the new day was a new life. He hadn't known he was incomplete until he was whole again. A new world stretched out around him and he could do in it as he pleased. Phantom looked down at himself and_ was _himself.

The robots stood quietly around him. He was One of Them now, and he had always been, they just had not recognized him. The crumpled golden suit lay at his feet, now truly empty. For many years he had occupied it- watching and instructing as he saw fit. At first he had the same mobility as the others, but the one who trapped him there made sure that he lost it as quickly as possible. His frustration multiplied, but it did not make him powerless. He had friends.

He looked at his friends for the first time with his own eyes, not through the immobile mechanical suit. They created them, because the children had only so much power- they couldn't move and manifest the way she could, the way he would be able to. So together they gave their robot friends life and movement. Bonnie was the proactive one. He and Chica liked to work together. Foxy was the expert- he took pride in being so tough to beat. But his favorite would always be Freddy. They looked at him with eyes that were not really dead, and made their way back to the show stage.

Now was not the time to catch up with his friends. Now that he was whole, he had things to do. Now that he was whole, he had the power to make them all whole. But first things first; the restaurant was not the only home he had.

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Jazz came home a little early, worried like her parents, about her little brother. The note he left was neither revealing nor encouraging. Danielle was just mad he hadn't told her about the potential danger. Early in the morning they sat a little miserably at the kitchen table, staring into their coffee cups. Dani rolled her eyes at them and claimed she was going to find an unfortunate trespasser to take her anger out on. Jazz just figured she would wait for Danny. Then she could hit him all she wanted.

"When do you think he'll be home?" Jack asked quietly. He tried to sound like he didn't care, but they all knew better.

"He said he wasn't sure when he'd be home." Jazz answered.

"I don't suppose it would change anything if we went down there?'' Maddie asked, but it was halfhearted. They all knew it wouldn't make anything better, and it probably wouldn't even make a difference.

"He'll be okay." Jazz said, mostly to herself. "He's tough. And he knows how much trouble he'll be in if he's not okay." Maddie tried to laugh.

"Just imagine what Sam would do to him." They all tried to laugh, but the feeling wasn't there. Jazz wondered if Danny really knew about all the nights his family lie awake wondering if he was okay. He probably didn't. Jazz checked her watch-only 6:15 and one minute since she last looked at the clock. Her early morning drive had slipped away so quickly and how time crawled by.

"What I wouldn't give to be in Clockwork's tower right now. Then I could at least make this waiting go by faster."

"That won't be necessary Jasmine." The redhead jerked her head up as the familiar cold wafted into the room along with the voice. She couldn't help but crack a smile at the sight of Danny's mentor Clockwork. But her smile faded when she thought to wonder why he had appeared. Jack's thought process didn't quite get that far.

"Ghost!"

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Sam was not usually a morning person. In fact, getting out of bed before noon when she didn't absolutely have to was a terrible thought. But today she couldn't sleep. She hardly slept at all last night, and even though it was early, she couldn't do any better now. She sat in the sitting room watching her grandmother knit- and tried not to think about where her boyfriend was at the time. Was he safe? Did they hurt him? When would be be home again?

"I can hear the gears turning Sam." Granny said, looking over her glasses at her. She had a wry smile, but she knew her granddaughter was nervous. "Where's that boy of yours?" Sam said.

"Off being stupid somewhere where I can't get to him and slap some sense into him." She didn't mean to sound hurt, but mostly she was so worried she didn't know what to do. She heard the front door open and peeked around the corner.

She wasn't surprised to see Tucker sneaking in. She waved him over and he flopped down beside her. He looked like he hadn't slept either.

"Did you hear anything?" Sam shook her head.

"Not a thing." Granny shook her head as well. They hadn't told her a thing, but she seemed to already know.

"You do a lot of worrying over him." She said. "Just wait and see- young men only get better with time." They both sat miserably, unsure of what to say or even if there was anything left to say. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Granny sighed and put her knitting down.

"Sam, get the scrabble board." She said firmly. Both teens looked ready to protest, but they needed the distraction. They pulled out a card table and the board and sat down to play scrabble with Granny.

Sam checked the wall clock a few minutes into the game. Tucker was defending an illegal acronym that Granny insisted was against the rules when a chill wafted through the room. Sam got up before the others even noticed, hoping that Danny had come back already.

"Danny?"

"I'm afraid not." Clockwork appeared, in that almost theatrical way of his. Sam and Tucker both jumped a little, but Granny seemed entirely unperturbed by the ghost's sudden appearance. The implications seemed to crush Sam a little; Tucker, looking a little solemn was the only one brave enough to ask.

"Is he okay?" Clockwork fixed him with a look that always seemed both cold and warm at the same time.

"He's fine." The ghost said, with his odd little smile that Sam wasn't sure she should be trusting. "He's not in any danger." She wanted to ask why he was hanging out in her living room, but asking seemed rude.

"So why are you here?" Tucker asked. "If he's alright?" Sam would've elbowed him if she'd been closer, but Granny pinched him instead for being rude. Clockwork didn't seem offended.

"I'm not here for Phantom- but for you. The transformation of a ghost is a short, but fairly_ disorganized _time. In all time lines, it ends best if he doesn't sense that you're here." She could feel the shield drop over them rather than see it. Sam almost didn't want to know what had happened if they needed a powerful ghost like Clockwork to shield them from Danny.

"What happened?" She asked, but her voice was small. Granny motioned to her to sit back down, and under Clockwork's gaze she obeyed numbly. If she could just see him, then she would know for sure.

"Ghosts don't stay children for very long. The Phantom had to come in to his own. Often the initial hours are quite confusing for very powerful ghosts." His voice was carefully blank, and he had not answered her question. "Perhaps it's just best if you stay here for a while." For a moment they all stood in awkward silence. But Granny seemed to solve the problem.

"Scrabble?"

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Jazz was trying not to panic. After all, Clockwork was an extremely powerful ghost, and her father was an extremely rash human being. The combination was surely not going to be a pretty one.

"Dad! What are you doing?!" The gun was out before she had any chance to react- but a reaction wasn't really necessary. The gun aged in the span of seconds, melting away to dust in his hands. Jack watched utterly confused before he remembered himself, and noticed the obvious angry looks from his wife and his daughter. The ghost just stared with a raised eyebrow as Jack melted a little under those empty eyes.

"So uh... you're a friend of Danny's?"

"Dad, this is _Clockwork_." Jazz said. "He's Danny's teacher, and not someone that you want to shoot." She gave him a particularly nasty glare.

"Where's Danny?" Maddie began, she tried to look threatening, but mostly she looked worried. "Is he alright?"

"You have nothing to worry about." Clockwork said. But he gave them nothing else. A few alarms buzzed, then cut out and Jazz, used to the feeling of ambient ghost energy, could feel the shield fall around them.

"What's the shield for?" She asked.

"Danny will require a few hours to straighten himself out. Until then, it's best if he doesn't sense the people here."

"What happened?" Maddie asked. Her voice was a little small, and slowly the implication seemed to be sinking in. Why did they need to be protected from Danny?

"We just want to know what's going on." Jazz said, and Jack nodded in agreement. He fixed them each with an almost cold look, but Jazz stared him down. Slowly, Jack sat back down at the table, Maddie following him, and under Jazz's careful eye, Clockwork settled between them.

"You were not straightforward with your son." He said. "And perhaps the Phantom was not entirely straightforward with you. But I can tell you that know isn't really the time for knowing- it's the time for learning. For you, and for him"

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The feeling was novel- because he could remember being outside just a few hours ago, and yet also remember the years and years trapped inside, immobile, wondering when he would have his time. He had his time now, and it was wonderful. For the first time in years, or hours, or both at the same time, the Phantom could rise from the ruins of his old life. As the dawn broke over the restaurant at last, Phantom made his way back toward Amity Park.

He could remember both the driving need to claim, and the desire to remain without a claim all at once. He remembered viewing the concept of the haunt through two different points of view, but his view was synchronous now. And he simply could not allow his home and haunt to remain unclaimed. It was his job to keep it safe, his responsibility, and the simple matter of staking a claim would only help to protect it.

It process was fairly simple, the right burst of power in the right places created a web, a net of power that warned all who had the ability to feel it who's home they were entering. And those that had no business being there knew that they willfully trespassed. But Phantom was not like other ghosts, his home was larger than most, and he wouldn't leave an inch of it without his protection.

The restaurant was safe, her power along with his ensured that no ghosts could enter without hope of leaving, and no portals could be opened by any ghost weaker than the combined collection. But his hometown was entirely unclaimed. He began at one end, near the restaurant- his senses and power high, declaring his intentions to any ghosts in the area. The few that were near cleared out quickly, no one was willing to dispute the Phantom's claim.

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Valerie didn't get the chance to sleep in very often. Honestly, letting Phantom handle the periodic interruptions had been a nice relief. Between her job and her schooling, free time wasn't something she had an abundance of. So when Saturday morning allowed her to sleep in a little bit longer, she was grateful.

Her wrist alarm waking her at six-thirty in the morning, therefore, was not appreciated. In fact, it made her downright angry. So angry she resolved right then that she wasn't even going to look at it. She's let Danny drag his ass out of bed and straighten it all out. And she would get to sleep in for once.

When the alarm kicked up a notch, she had to look just to shut the damn thing off. Why hadn't Phantom shown up yet? Usually his signature had shown up on her sensors by now. She yanked it off her beside table, listening to make sure the noise hadn't woken her father yet. Val check the screen quickly and paused before turning the damn thing off. She looked closely- certain the thing wasn't working right. The technology was new, a gift from Danny just a few months ago. It would be just like him to get it wrong- either to screw with her or just by the merit of being a Fenton. But she had to be sure.

She was out of bed and into her bag before she realized she had resolved to do anything about it. Her sensor box said the same thing as her wrist alarm- a big ghost now just on the fringes of Amity Park. A ghost bigger than almost anything they'd ever fought before. And Phantom's familiar signature was no where to be found. Surely the ghost wasn't a friend of his- he almost always warned her when a friend of his was passing through.

But it didn't really matter, with a ghost with this rating, she wouldn't have taken his word for it anyway. She needed to see for herself. She was dressed, suited up and on the jet sled long before her father had the chance to wake up and ask where she was going. Best that way anyway, the last thing she needed was her dad chasing her around. She'd have enough people to protect anyway.

Valerie followed the unfamiliar signature to the high school, where ghosts for some reason tended to congregate. Phantom claimed that teenagers put out a lot of emotional energy- and the more energy in the air, the more energy for a ghost to manifest. He claimed he was never stronger than he was just over Casper High. Val just thought he was being an idiot.

Even closer, her short range sensors could show the new ghost's odd bursts of power- though she couldn't see exactly what he was doing with it. The closer she got, the more confused she became. Powerful ghosts tended to be large, and the more powerful they became the less human they seemed- but this was a little different. The wrist alarm compared the new ghost to the same power level of the ghost king she and Phantom had fought years ago. But the ghost king had arrived with much greater fanfare, and displayed a huge amount of power as a show of force. He was also inhumanly large and intimidating. The weather ghost was almost as powerful- and he was certainly other than human like.

This ghost surprised her. He had obviously sensed her coming, he hovered over the school, still and non-threatening. As though just waiting for her to approach. He was large, when compared to a normal human being; both their feet on the ground he surely would have been seven feet tall. He had a human shape, but not a human form. At his joints she could see the metal framework- the joints and pins and wiring of a robotic inner skeleton. At his elbows and his neck, even his jaw; drawn wide in a permanent grin.

Phantom, once, had told her about Malevolence- the strength of a ghost's desire to manifest, to manipulate, to survive in a world they had already passed out of. He said humans wanted to equate malevolence to evil, but that was not the case, not really. A malevolent ghost was a strong ghost, a malevolent ghost was a master of themselves and the world around him. And this ghost, she knew, was _malevolent_. She could almost feel it coming from him.

She slowed on her sled, close enough now to see him clearly, and close enough that the strange, quiet whisper in her head gained a voice. This ghost was familiar. She had never seen him before, but she knew him somehow anyway.

The white hair. Not terribly unusual for a ghost, but rare enough that she hesitated to get any closer. The clothing was not as familiar, but the black and white was- black pants and the black and white shirt that exposed his arms and neck. But those weren't hands that she knew- metal, long, sinister, almost like claws more than hands. Feet to match, jointed, steel, and almost animal.

He looked over his shoulder at her, and she didn't really want to believe it. The color had changed- golden now and sharp- but she's stared down those eyes before. When he turned to face her, the logo was a dead give away.

"Phantom?"

Seeing Valerie was a strange experience. At once he knew her and didn't know her- at once she was a friend and a stranger, ally and enemy. Either point of view didn't change anything. If she tried to stop him she would have to be removed one way or the other. She looked quite unsure of what to do, and honestly, he'd have been satisfied leaving her there bewildered. He had things to do after all.

"What happened to you?" Val demanded rather than asked, which was to be expected of her. The answer seemed to form strangely in his brain, half from one side of himself, and half from the other. But it was perfectly natural, and perfectly correct. His self-awareness was still distanced from the living world, he'd spent too long in the space between.

"I happened to myself." He said simply. His voice seemed to disturb her, and it sounded odd even to himself. But in time the double-voice echo would subside, he was still getting used to his new form. Valerie, it seemed might take a little longer to get used to it. The weapons sprang out immediately. Par for the course with the Red Huntress anyway.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but you get the hell out of my town." The frown was perceptible even with the joints of his jaw exposed. He had just finished completing his claim over Amity Park. It was _his_ town, and not hers at all. He didn't expect her to understand the subtleties, but any hostility would be met with hostility- with his haunt in the living world claimed, his territory in the ghost zone would follow, and he certainly wasn't going to be put off it.

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Nocturne opened a portal for Dani, to save her the trip home. Danny had mastered the art, but she still had no luck managing it. Not all ghosts had the ability, and there was an honest chance it would never develop in her. But her mentor seemed perfectly willing to lend a hand getting her around. She didn't want to go to FentonWorks right away. As much as the family life was nice, and she didn't mind keeping an eye on her 'cousin's' parents- a few hours outside of the house was good for her. She wasn't used to the attention or the demands on her attention.

She had plans to hang out in the nearby park. Her search for unfortunate ghosts causing trouble had failed, and she'd taken her anxiety to her teacher. He wasn't too thrilled about the prospect, but he had assured her that Phantom was tough enough to get through even the most unfortunate of circumstances. So, she figured she would watch the early morning sky for a while and try to forget about being worried.

But as soon as the portal closed behind her, she knew her morning wasn't going to be so easy. She could feel it immediately- a signature that was both foreign and familiar. It felt like Phantom. But it didn't feel like him at all. This ghost was powerful- she could feel the web of power and knew Amity Park was claimed, just like she knew this ghost already knew that she was here. She reached out with her senses and knew without any doubts- it was Danny. It was Phantom, and Valerie was with him.

She took off towards the signature and hoped that neither of them decided to do anything stupid. She wasn't holding her breath or anything.

She found them over the high school, and if she hadn't already known him, she never would have recognized him. The transformation that she had been warned about had happened. If she hadn't felt the danger in the air, she would have congratulated him. But now was not the time, because Valerie's equipment was top notch; but it couldn't feel. It couldn't tell her she was seeing Phantom in a different package.

And Dani just wasn't quite fast enough.

With her gun already up, the Red Huntress started her attack with an intimidating barrage, but Phantom wasn't impressed. In fact, he wasn't even looking. He had locked her with his gaze instead. There was both confusion and interest there. His shield was up when the shots connected. He teleported behind Valerie easily, and one simple blast behind her was enough to neutralize her entirely.

"Val!" She hurtled toward the ground, Phantom unconcerned, not even watching her fall. He was in front of her instead. Dani couldn't be sure it he even realized what it was he'd done. But she was sure that there probably wasn't anything she could do about it.

"Danny? Are you okay? It's me, Danielle." Her voice was small as he crowded close to her even in mid-air. She took in his new appearance. Ghosts were a lot less concerned with appearances, and she was no exception. It was odd to see someone she knew so well change, but the change was not unnerving to her. The look in his eyes, however, concerned her. Phantom looked her over like he had never seen her before.

He knew her. He knew that this was Danielle, a madman had made her from him, and hours ago he did not realize what she was to him. Hours ago, he had looked but he had not really seen. Making a ghost from a ghost was an arduous process. The neverborn were not new growths, they were _children_. A ghost did not make a friend they made a son or daughter- and though he hadn't undertaken the process himself she was from him. Part of him was right before him and she had not been formed correctly.

Her human half could be grown from a cloned body, but the difficulty of forming the ghost half from an immature ghost was too much really. He could see right through her now and see that she was fragmented. He had territory to claim, places to go and all that, but he couldn't stand to move on before he had fixed this problem. He couldn't let something of his remain broken, could he? And he knew just how to fix it.

Dani didn't really want to fight him. It wouldn't do much good anyway. She watched his eyes soften and had hope that she wouldn't have to. Transforming was hard on a ghost, especially powerful ones. If he was a little out of it, she'd understand. All she had to do was wake him up. He looked right through her, but the look wasn't hard anymore. He reached out with one strange hand just to touch her face. On her cheek the steel was cool but not cold. His fingers looked sharp enough to hurt, but he was very gentle. This really was her Phantom.

The light that formed in his hand was bright but not threatening. She didn't have time to shy away before he thrust his hand and the bright light all the way through her.

Light exploded across her vision, and for a moment she swam between blinding light and consuming darkness. Her whole body felt as though it was collapsing on itself, contracting all around her. She could almost feel it melting away, and nothing she could do could pull it back together. She was screaming, but she wasn't sure what it was she was saying. She knew she'd fall apart, melt away into nothing, and there would not be even traces left of her.

She pulled away, and something happened. Dani couldn't see, but she felt the pull of something, a cold, tiny vortex that opened for her. She fell through.

Phantom watched her go- teleporting for the first time he was sure. He felt a distant mixture of pride and concern. But he couldn't do anything else for her. He had other business to attend to. He opened a portal, and stepped through into the ghost zone.

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Clockwork patiently answered harmless questions while Maddie took notes in her yellow notebook she kept in the kitchen. So long as they were harmless, the ancient ghost seemed happy to answer them, but he remained tight-lipped on the subject of Phantom and his mysterious presence in their house.

But the friendly atmosphere was shattered when Danielle appeared over the kitchen table and fell unceremoniously into Clockwork's arms. All three Fenton's were out of their chairs and reaching for the unconscious ghost that had already become family.

"Dani!" Clockwork let them all put their hands on her, but pulled her away when she didn't wake.

"She'll be fine." He said, answering the question they hadn't thought to ask yet. "She's met Phantom already, with a little looking after she'll wake up in better shape than she was before." His own bright portal opened.

"You'll look after her?" Jazz asked. "I know Danny would feel better knowing you were taking care of her."

"No, not I. Nocturne had grown attached to her- he will know what to do. It will do the Phantom good to learn to get along with him. You'll be safe now. Don't expect him for another night at least." And then he was gone.

"Is he always that mysterious?" Jack asked.

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It was time. He'd claimed his home, but something still wasn't right. His thoughts meshed now, his voice synced, but the disconnect remained. He still saw the world through one veil or another. He'd experienced life through one set of eyes, and now it was time to get to the other set.

Phantom returned to the restaurant. It was nearly midnight, and even though he'd become whole, his duty to his friends still remained. They still played the game, and without him, they would never be able to decide who deserved to play and who didn't. He knew both sides of the anticipation to see the clock reach midnight. The guard, someone new, would be reading those transcripts, or listening to those old tapes and wondering.

His friend's were waiting for the old mechanics to loosen again. There was a time he moved like they did, but not anymore. Phantom could have saved them the trouble of the game, now having a form of his own, but he possessed the old familiar suit instead. Those were the rules. She made them up, and even he didn't break them.

The feeling of that old robot was wonderful- familiar and homey. The frustration was often crippling, but he could not help but love his old home. It was there that he nearly gasped his last miserable breath and there that he found a new kind of freedom, and if he had to choose his prison, he would always choose old Fredbear over anything else.

There was a new kind of awareness. Before he could barely hear her flitting in and out, all around them, but his senses where keener now. His old friend had her voice back, and her sweet echoing laughter was everywhere. She woke the others, like she did every night. She told them everything that had happened. And the children, still stuck between life and death, between him and her, were excited. Because tonight, the game was changing.

He moved almost immediately- teleporting to watch the new guard. To watch but never act was a miserable sort of fate, but it had become his power. The guard could not always see him when he watched. He could see the horror dawn on the newcomer's face as he watched the screens carefully. He knew the man to be a coward just by looking. Not all those that joined them deserved the fate they got- but this one would deserve it. Not all meant harm to the children, but this one would grow to hurt them one day. He could see right into his slimy soul. He wouldn't interfere with the game tonight. The familiar face wouldn't make it another night.

Wait.

It was almost horrible to see, and almost satisfying to recognize the face. Part of him could only see into the soul, and looked past the face altogether. But part of him knew more. And the name surfaced slowly in his discordant brain.

Terry Booker.

Anger, cold and intense and something old and new. The old part needed to see this horrible human being end. The newer part was sick to want the same thing. He could stop it, but he couldn't. He could save this horrible human being, the way he had been unable to save others, but he could not bring himself to interfere. This was why the game existed. He knew what it was from the beginning. The addition of one more soul would be a greater boon than bane.

Their power grew with every new addition.

He left and let them play their game with both a distant horror and consuming thrill. While his dear friends stalked the hallways he whispered to her and told her all the things he had seen one the outside. Through the screaming he promised her that she would see it, they would all see it. The coward cried and begged, but it didn't matter to them. He had added a new soul to their collection.

And at last they were complete.

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Oh my goodness, I'm on time! How did that happen?

I hope this has started to clear up some confusion, but chapter 10 should reveal all! At least mostly. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. I got so many awesome reviews, it was the coolest thing ever.

Anyway, tune in next week (friday hopefully) for chapter 10!


	10. Stuck Here to Decay

Malevolence

chp 10- Stuck Hereto Decay

by: Thecolorsofsand

To feel the new addition become part of them was a power like nothing else. Knowing the soul personally was an even greater power. The elation of _winning,_ of fulfilling their purpose lit up the whole restaurant and all the souls inside it. It was time to catch up with old friends. He could call them now, but he whispered to her to call them anyway. Tonight they would learn to listen to him as they did her. Tonight there would be no more discord among friends. And tonight he'd make all the new additions just like old friends. And there was someone else who needed to be properly managed.

They gathered all of them, souls filling the space to the roof, invisible, teeming, some angry and some happy over the unfolding events. They separated naturally into two groups, those on the side of the children, and those on _his_ side. Phantom would ensure there was only one side from now on.

For the first time before the whole collection _Phantom_ appeared- whole and powerful, and one of them. He raised a hand and with an invisible burst of power lifted the hold over the restaurant. He could feel the veil over them lifting, the heavy atmosphere became lighter, the black hole burnt out and faded away. They did not even have to cross to the ghost zone, because he had done so for them. Through him, they gained his power, and through them he became greater. He had only to open a very small portal and let the eerie light of the underworld shine through.

The collection had the power now to manifest, and one by one they appeared. The children, ten altogether, no younger than seven and no older than ten years old. They were elated to be present again. He remembered their names, and when each had joined them. The night guards, wary and angry and sad, some old and some young. He knew their names too, and when they had come. He knew which had met their end where and how, and who had lasted how long. They stared at him numbly, both glad and suspicious of the new power.

His friends appeared. The spirits, not really ghosts, that had once inhabited robots now long deactivated and scrapped. They bounded among the laughing children, part robot, part animal, part ghostly, without any worries in the world. His current friends burst from their frames, leaving the robots housing them still and deactivated. Even larger and more powerful than the others, they laughed with their children without sound, like dogs welcoming home the family.

And then _she _came.

She was beautiful. Small in stature, but so great and enveloping inside that she spread over them all like the sky. She chose her form- a miniature of the old puppet animatronic that had been made in memory of her many years ago. She had been so devastated when it had been destroyed. She used the form now to remind the old spirits and the ghosts of the night guards who she was.

She smiled now, instead of the tears that seemed so constant the very first time they had met, both halfway to the afterlife. She smiled to see the new form he had, and the new form that she could take at will. She changed her form just for him, to match him- his age now, but still small, long golden curls and those violet eyes, and the black dress that reminded her of the old puppet.

He remembered her name too, but if he said it now she would not remember. He had kept one foot in the world of the living, but not her. She'd be the Marionette forever. And that pleased her well enough.

"Mary." He said, and she curtsied dramatically with a wide smile. The spirits swarmed her like over excited house pets and her giggling laughter echoed in the restaurant. The others were silent now. They didn't have anything to say that he had not already heard. And they all knew why they had been called to appear.

But not all were present.

Phantom could feel the last of them, prowling in the shadows, refusing to manifest with the others. Both afraid and angry. Glad at the chance to take the control he wanted, and afraid to fail. Neither side really wanted him, so he danced at the fringes, hoping to be forgotten. But he certainly wasn't going to be forgotten; after all, it had all been for him.

"Come out, Victor Fasbach." Phantom commanded, and he had no choice but to obey. The spirits circle around him and the Phantom, protecting the other ghosts from the man they had been created to destroy. They had kept him separate from the others for years now, allowing only The Phantom and The Marionette close. He manifested on a roiling, purple mist, that drew from the floor, the walls and the ceiling. Just inside the mist Phantom could see the form of the man he had hunted for longer than he had even been alive, but he hid inside the cloud, obscuring the details.

Just what were they going to do with him?

The fifth night had come and gone. For five of them Phantom recalled now the pain and the suffering this man had put him through. He nearly died, but fate, and a dear friend of his in his kindness or his cruelty, let him live. Others hadn't been so lucky. In a mad rush for five long nights part of him, and what was left of his spirit friends pulled out all the stops. Victor Fasbach had to die before night five. Because if he didn't, little Daniel Fenton would be dead, and all the years of struggling would be for nothing. At the end of the fourth night, he came himself and made sure the deed was done.

No tricks could save him; the trap was set and he took the bait just as he knew he would. Phantom would have liked to see him gone for good, never to bother them again, but this fate was more poetic. To be trapped forever suffering at the hands of those who had suffered at his. The problem was in the details. The collection remained unmastered and therefore unguided. The spirits continued on their quest not realizing that they'd accomplished their goal, and though he had the power to stop them, the wheels in his own mind were turning- he was angry at the world for ignoring their suffering. The only way to stop it was to stop the growing number of the forgotten and the damned. But no one listened.

But now the noise had faded. The anger that consumed him had subsided and he saw the other half of the picture that he had been missing for so long. They had not been forgotten, not entirely. And he himself could put a stop to the growing numbers. Once mastered, he alone would have the power to add to the collection. The power was there- ready to be claimed. All he had to do, was reach out and take it.

He didn't have to say it out loud. Faced with the enemy they all knew and hated the children gave up what little free will they had left to him. Little lights, like one that he had seen the night before appeared before him, compressing into tiny pearls of light- light and warm in his hand. They were easy to swallow, and their power burst inside him, threatening to fill him up entirely.

The guards lingering on the other side of the room seemed reluctant to do the same, voiceless and faceless, they huddled together away from the spirits, away from the children, and away from him. They retained the greatest amount of freewill, and even power, but sequestered by the Marionette, they could not use it.

"You can be the same as all the others. There isn't any escaping, not for you, and not for me. But we're better together than we are separated." He held out his hand to them, and they looked back and forth amongst themselves, considering. For a long moment there was nothing, but it took just one of them to pick the lesser of the evils they faced, and soon all of them had given up and submitted to him.

Their light was greater than the others, larger and heavier in his hand. It took greater effort to swallow them. One by one they seemed to fill him up, push him out at the seams. He could feel himself actually growing, his capacity expanding to accommodate them all.

The spirits were next- they were not the same as the ghosts, merely constructs built from the power of the collection, guided by the children that needed them so. They had no true freewill. But their combined strength was massive. Their light was dull and colored- but extremely heavy and hard to swallow. Their power made him heavy- it was tiring to support it all. But he wasn't done.

"You can come willingly- or I will take you, just like we did the first time." He said. The purple man said nothing in reply- perhaps he couldn't. He could see through the others, but not this one. Phantom could take what he needed forcefully, but it wouldn't solve the problem entirely. What wasn't freely given couldn't be stolen. They were just going to have to settle their differences the usual way.

"Are you going to come quietly?" Phantom felt the response a moment before it happened. He could have asked for the spirits to help him, but to really master the collection, he was going to have to prove he was the strongest in it. When the purple man attacked, he was ready for it.

It was not like the fights that he was used to. There were no blows to fall and no random flashes of light to follow, just clashing of wills as Victor's strength tried to overtake the Phantom's. He could feel it swarm around him; the anger, the frustration, and the driving need that he understood but never knew. It was a new sort of fight, but he learned quickly. His own will, and those of the others inside him overwhelmed Victor's. It was easy and natural to reach out and take whatever he could from him. His light was more like compact darkness, and when it was yanked from his forcibly, he ran.

But Phantom had what he needed. His friends, protectors, and caregivers where on him before he could get far. And with teeth and claws and metal joints held him fast. Phantom swallowed the compact darkness- it was heavier than lead in him.

Something had to be done with the purple man. He couldn't have him wandering among the others- and if he did not willingly submit, then he retained power enough to cause problems. But they had trapped him once, he could do it again. The chains appeared in the children's hands. And together, with the help of the spirits, they chained him up fast. He wouldn't be causing anyone any more trouble or pain. She was beside him, suddenly, and it was her turn to whisper in his ear.

She did have good ideas.

With a gesture, a box rose from the floor, a tiny prison. It swallowed him up and sealed him away where his influence couldn't leak out and contaminate his little family. He'd keep him sealed up for as long as necessary.

And then it was her turn. He hated the idea of taking anything from her- but he had mastered the enemy, and she was all that was left. As he turned to her, she shrunk to her own age- no more than seven or eight, still with those ringlet golden curls and lacy black dress. He'd always had a thing for little girls- just because of her. He knelt before her, still huge by comparison. She was smiling, and she probably always would be.

"Mary, I need something from you." He said gently. She giggled at him and waved a finger at him, as though to say 'not so fast'. She wasn't going to just give it up. After so many years, he couldn't blame her. The two of them were the first. Because of him she had started this. He had needed her power for so long- he couldn't really ask her to give it up. She leaned forward, whispered in his ear again, and kissed his cheek.

So long as the one who did this to her did not submit, she wouldn't either. But she made it clear she wouldn't fight him. She held very still for him as he reached out and pulled from her what he needed.

Her light was blinding. Like a tiny sun it condensed in his hand- huge, heavy, hot. He wasn't sure how he was going to absorb it, but it had to be done. It had to be done or they would be fractured forever.

He bound her, like he had the purple man, but only with the most delicate of chains. Not really a bond at all, just a reminder to her who controlled them now. She seemed perfectly happy with her bondage. The box that appeared for her was one of her own design; a present complete with red ribbon and a large bow. It was just like her, really. She climbed inside more than willingly with a smile. Her light seemed to smile back at him as well. Phantom wasn't sure if it was a form of encouragement, or a dare.

He swallowed it.

The Phantom burst at the seams. He could not contain the power of the whole collection inside his current form. The power washed over him, pulled him under, tossed him over again. He'd never known this strength before, and the nights before were forgotten by comparison. His world expanded like the Big Bang. He opened a portal without realizing he'd done so. He had pulled the entire collection into it before he knew what was happening. The whole ghost zone exploded in black and white all around him.

Then he was suddenly awake again.

It was dark- but he could see the vague outline of rooms and hallways. It felt like home, more than any other place had. He was alone. But he was never really alone anymore. He raised his head only slightly, and the whole place swam around him. He was in bed- sort of. The whole place looked like an odd working combination of the lab and the restaurant- maybe a little of his bedroom tossed in there just to make it weird.

A ghostly lair. He'd never had one before. Honestly he didn't think he ever would. He did have a home after all. But now that place seemed to pale in comparison to this one. With maturity, with power, came an undeniable home made just for him. But whatever it was supposed to be, it was the safest place in the whole world for him to sleep, and that was all he could think about now.

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Now both children were gone. Over twenty four hours since Danielle had crashed though into their house in obvious distress, unable to tell them anything and well over forty-eight since their son had disappeared. Jack and Maddie didn't really know what to do. Danny was something they couldn't really do anything about. He had left willingly and promised to return. Both parents had gone full circle from guilt ridden regret back to anger and then circled back to the regret.

"We should have just told him." Jack said with a heavy sigh.

"Maybe he should have just told us." Maddie replied, but she didn't really feel it. Jazz stood by the counter, huddled over a cup of coffee, which she didn't really even like.

"He'll be okay." She said firmly, but they could all hear the uncertainty. "Both of them are too stubborn not to be okay. Just, tell him the whole truth when he comes home, and he'll do the same for you. He always does." Both parents nodded, but the stress was wearing. No one in the Fenton household had slept. The bedroom ceilings had been scrutinized, the news analyzed, and half the coffee in the house consumed. But no one had a solution.

Jack slapped the table suddenly, and the whole family jumped.

"Let's go get her." He said solidly. They all looked at him. "We can call one of Danny's friends- they'll know where to find this 'Nocturne' person. We'll go and make sure she's okay. Then at least we'll know what happened." Maddie seemed to turn it over in her mind.

"The specter speeder should be ready to go." She said cautiously. I suppose we could see if we can find her. But Danny could come home while we're gone."

"I'll stay and wait for him." Jazz answered immediately. She knew a bad idea when she heard one- at least when it came from her parents, but after all this time she didn't care. Not one little bit. Something was better than nothing. "I'll even call Sam and see if she can tell he where to find her."

After much wheedling, Jazz got Sam to giver her some directions, which turned out to be very general. Danny didn't get out to Nocturne's very often. Jazz jotted down a few notes, neglecting to mention it was not herself that would be making the journey, and insisted that she didn't need help. She handed the directions off to her parents, and sat down to wait for her brother.

The specter speeder was right in the lab where they left it. Ever since they found out about their son's secret it had been seeing more and more use. They had made a couple excursions with him now. Though they had yet to go anywhere of note. Both parents suspected he was a little embarrassed to take his parents anywhere in the ghost zone.

Nocturne had his own territory a good distance away from the Fenton Portal, but the specter speeder was not named so because it was slow. It took almost two hours, but they arrived at a very sinister looking gate in a very dark part of the ghost zone. Barren trees hung from floating isles surrounding a dark and shaded gate- everything behind which was obscured by shadows. They had no trouble drifting through the gate, now used to the idea of being the 'ghosts of the ghost zone'.

The action however, was apparently not appreciated- several green creatures formed out of the shadows and attacked immediately. When they were shot down, more took their place until the speeder was swarmed with them. They could hardly see to move forward.

"I don't think Jazz mentioned this." Jack said. They had given up on the controls and sat back as the speeder was rocked back and forth by the sleepwalkers.

"At least we know she's not going to be abducted or anything." Maddie replied almost sarcastically. She grabbed at the microphone and shouted through the receiver.

"We're here to see Dani Phantom! Danielle, are you in there?" The rocking stopped abruptly. For a moment the creatures just paused, sewn eyes turned their way, looking but probably not really seeing. Then, one by one, they merely dissolved, leaving the speeder alone. In the distance, the outline of what looked like a gigantic old mansion began to form.

"I think that's the closest thing we're going to get to an invitation Jack."

The speeder moved cautiously forward, Jack shouting out all the interesting land formations floating in the darkness. Eventually they wound their way to the manor, whose open landing and door was just large enough to accommodate the specter speeder. The Fenton's landed, and stepped inside the shaded house.

"What do you want with Danielle?" A voice boomed. They both jumped. Their eyes, not adjusted to the dim twilight revealed no source for the voice at all. The darkness seemed to be alive, shadows lurking inside the shadows of the grand and dusty entrance. What was this ghost known for again? The light from a room off to the left was not enough to light the entryway, the only other light source a moving field of stars, moving among the shade. A huge figure of...

oh.

They were both stunned- almost too much to move, and certainly too much to speak. Nocturne gazed down at the two humans with narrow eyes.

"I said; what do you want with Danielle?" His voice boomed again.

"Uh..." The woman couldn't seem to find words, clutching her husbands hands as though keeping them from something. Nocturne did not like intruders.

"Jack! Maddie!" Danielle bounced out from the shadows and embraced them both. They seemed genuinely happy to see her, and hugged her back with appropriate urgency. The tension was fairly well broken, and the two seemed to forget all about him.

"Dani are you alright, we were so worried about you?" They held her at arm's length to get a better look, and both stopped, stunned.

"Nocturne- this is Jack and Maddie Fenton. I've been staying with them for the past week, they're Phantom's parents."

"I'll try not to hold that against them." He said with a glare.

In the other room, in the light of an odd dark fire both Jack and Maddie just barely resisted asking about, ghost and human attempted to get along civilly. Nocturne sat in his huge chair by the fire, Dani and the Fenton's in their own more appropriately sized chairs, still marveling at the change in Dani.

"What happened?" Maddie asked, but it wasn't Danielle who answered her.

"_Phantom_ happened." Nocturne replied angrily, but quietly. "That little idiot reformed her while he was in the middle of his own transformation. If Clockwork hadn't brought her to me there no telling what could have happened to her." The Fenton's weren't sure how to respond. It didn't seem wise to defend their son in front of the angry ghost who's home they were currently invading, but it didn't seem right to let him go on about it either. But Dani was still on his side.

"I don't think he knew what he was doing. He really was trying to help, I could see it in the way he looked at me- he was just out of it. I don't think he was thinking about the after math, he just saw that there was a problem."

She didn't look like their son anymore. There were similarities. The shape of her jaw, those, blue, blue eyes. Now in her ghost form, she didn't really look like Phantom either. Those eyes that were once electric green now retained Danny's blue. Her white hair was just a little silver instead of bright white. Her complexion less pale. And though she had been slow to age anyway, whatever had happened had aged her backwards. She couldn't have been more than ten years old.

Nocturne reached over with a huge, strange hand and patted her on the head. The gesture was both slightly demeaning and loving at once.

"He doesn't treat you well." He insisted. "The fact that you even exist is like some odd miracle. What with how young he was. To deny you the way he..."

"He doesn't know." Dani said suddenly and firmly. "He's not denying me, he just doesn't know. I don't know how to tell him." She finished quietly. "Let's just drop it." Nocturne frowned and growled a little, but pat her head again.

"A friend of my apprentice is a friend of mine." He said. "You will tell him. And if he denies you then- I will tear the Phantom into little pieces."

It was with an odd sort of hug with the much larger ghost that she agreed to go back with Jack and Maddie. They didn't ask about what he had said, though it was driving them both crazy.

"Did Danny really hit that ghost in the face?" Dani nodded wisely.

"And he still hasn't gotten over it."

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Tucker hadn't come over yet. He claimed he was doing homework. Sam was certain he was just as worried as she was, and they were almost afraid that the longer they were together the more likely they would come to the conclusion that something bad had happened to Danny. Neither of them wanted to accept the possibility. She tried to think about homework too, but it just wasn't coming. Algebra seemed pointless in the face of what could be inevitable. How long before she should really start to worry?

He'd promised to come home, but he'd promised the same thing when he went to fight the ghost king. And they all knew there was a real possibility that he wasn't coming back. This had been the same kind of good-bye. The thought of waiting forever without ever knowing when he might fly into her bedroom or walk through her front door was horrifying.

So she sat in the front room, staring at her math book without really reading, desperately trying not to think about her boyfriend. And when she should start thinking about finding another one.

"Now there's smoke coming out of your ears." Her grandmother said idly. She was still knitting, rocking in her favorite easy chair. But she peered over her glasses at her granddaughter.

"I'm just a little worried about Danny." She said, but didn't want to say much more. The look Grandma was giving her made her think that she didn't need to say anything else.

"Your friend yesterday didn't tell you anything?" She asked. Sam shook her head.

"No, he doesn't like to tell us much. He takes care of the time stream, so he has to be mysterious so we don't get anything wrong and screw up time."

"So you could say that everything is happening the way it's supposed to happen?" Sam paused.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So there isn't much purpose in worrying about it, is there?" She hadn't thought about it like that. Clockwork liked Danny. Surely he wouldn't let anything happen to him. Grandma always seemed to know what to do and say. She made sure to put her book down and give her a hug.

"Thanks Grandma."

"Thant Phantom is a pretty good man. He's taking his moment to grow up and be even better for you. Give him his time."

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Phantom woke up considerably better off than when he went to sleep. He felt less like he was an exploded bomb, and more like a human being. He was heavy, and still tired, but he could get up and finally look around.

His lair. He'd never had one, and he wasn't really sure he knew what one was supposed to look like. They were extensions of the ghosts that they housed, and he wasn't the simplest ghost to read. After the last week he was hardly sure himself. But his new home seemed to understand. He had woken in his bed, or a form of it. Now very large to accommodate his new size, and dark enough that nothing would disturb his sleep. In fact the lighting in the whole place kind of sucked.

No sooner had he thought it, the whole place lit up with brilliant lighting. It was close to what he'd seen hours ago- an odd mix between the restaurant and the lab. He wandered through the multiple rooms and found everything he'd ever need for anything-things that he had hidden away at home, hoping his family wouldn't find. Things that he had hidden so certain ghosts couldn't lay hands on them again, all there, locked up safe in his home.

It was amazing.

So much had changed- and yet nothing had really changed at all. The last few nights were an odd blur in his mind, but the whole situation seemed perfectly clear now. He'd gone to dissolve the collection, not realizing that it could not be dissolved. He took control of it instead. _Transformante_ was never more clear to him than it was now. He looked down at himself. The new look was going to take some getting used to.

It felt right, though. Even the open joints and robotic frame. He found a mirror just to look himself over. The golden eyes were a change, but not a surprise. He'd been told eyes often changed color after maturation. He hadn't expected the clothes to change, but he wasn't sorry for it. The black and white remained, black cargo pants tight enough to stay out of the way but not so tight they resembled the old jumpsuit. And pockets, thank god for that.

A tee shirt instead- black with white, short sleeves. Sam's logo remained. As well as the gloves, black now, and without the fingers, which was a good thing. His hands looked more like claws now, and the metal surely would have shredded the gloves. His feet were the same, jointed and almost animal looking, but bare and metal. It was weird to see but not to feel. He looked down at his long arms and the jacket appeared unbid. Thin, but warm, and very distinctly the same color and fabric that old golden Fredbear had been made of. A constant reminder of where he came from. The hood didn't have ears- that would have been way too much. He took it off and it disappeared. Good to know he had it when he needed it.

It was going to be weird to show Sam and Tucker how he'd changed, not to mention his family. They were going to flip out. The thought suddenly filled him with anxiety. It was going to take a lot of explanation. He knew so much now, but they were going to need the run-down, and it wasn't going to be pretty. He sighed to himself and changed back. He looked like the old Danny Fenton. At least that hadn't changed. Probably best to open up with the person they knew.

He swallowed his fear and opened a portal. Best just to get it done quickly. Like ripping off a band aid.

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If either of the Fenton's had been smokers, the house would have fogged up hours ago. As it was, both were considering taking it up, just to have something to do with their hands. Jazz was still on the coffee, since she wasn't a smoker either, and Maddie had taken to baking and feeding Danielle just as much as she could hold. After her ordeal she was like a bottomless pit. She was halfway though a loaf of bread when her ghost sense went off and she jumped out of her chair.

"He's back!" She was at the front door before the words registered. She threw it open just as the Fenton's thought to follow her out of the kitchen, or wondered why it was he still used the front door when he could just teleport into the living room.

"Danny!" She leaped into his arms, nearly knocking him over, and he staggered into the house, still exhausted. He collapsed on the couch, his 'cousin' still on top of him. He held her out at arm's length to look at her. He looked about to come up with some flippant response, when something seemed to register to him.

"Dani, are you alright? I can't believe I just did that to you!" He hugged her fiercely, and she seemed perfectly happy to let him. The other Fenton's breathed a sigh of relief. Danny was back. They sat down next to him and each gave him a similar hug.

"Danny, we were so worried about you." Jazz said.

"We were, really worried." Jack repeated. The message was understood, and Danny smiled a little at his dad. They were going to figure it out. But he had something else to figure out now.

"I'm okay." He said. "In fact, I'm great. But right now, Dani's going to come up to the roof with me, I have something to talk to her about."

The evenings were getting warmer and warmer. And after all the strange events of the past week, just sitting on the roof knowing it was all taken care of was great. Granted, a few more steps were going to have to be taken, but for now everything was as it should be.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Dani asked. Danny looked at his 'cousin', although he almost couldn't stand to think of her that way now. She looked just the way she was supposed to. She was finally whole, just like he was. She still had her own transformation to go through- but now it would be on her own terms.

"I'm sorry I just did that to you, without any warning or anything. I don't even remember that much. I just remember looking at you and realizing that you weren't complete. You were still unstable, and I was the only one that could fix you. I just looked at you and knew that I had to help you." Danny looked a little sheepish.

"I was okay. It was weird at first, but I feel better, and a lot stronger. Even Nocturne was surprised at how strong I was." She paused for a moment, scooting closer to him. She wanted to say something, but didn't know how. Danny looked the same way, so they just sat together for a moment, not saying anything at all.

"You know, I really did read that book that Clockwork gave me about how ghosts form. I just didn't get it until a night or two ago." The confession left him blushing, and pretty soon Danielle was doing the same. The time had come, now they just had to overcome the fear to get to the heart of the matter. "It took me a long time to realize... I mean Vlad made you, but he didn't really. He just used parts of me to make your ghost half. I guess it makes sense that you were unstable- since I was immature when you were born." Dani almost choked, but nodded anyway.

"It's okay, you fixed it when you got the chance." She replied. Both were blushing so furiously they couldn't look at each other.

"You knew long before I did." Danny continued. "And all I can say is that I'm sorry Danielle. It took me this long to realize that made you my daughter." It was out in the open, and both had such a blush they should have been dizzy from it. Danielle had started to cry and she wasn't sure when that had happened. "A lot has happened in the past week, and I hope that you can kind of see past it. Because, I really do want to be good to you Dani, I really do." She nearly jumped into his lap, flashing into her ghost form, and it seemed wrong to him that he was not. She'd seen his new form, briefly, but he hoped she remembered the chance as he changed as well.

She looked up at him, and had to take a moment to get a good look for herself. He smiled nervously down at her, but she seemed to dismiss it rather quickly, and hugged him again.

"I wondered what you were going to look like." She said through the tears. Phantom hugged her tightly. He hadn't really set out to gain a child, but really, he'd always had one. Vlad may have done the actual manipulation, and certainly her human form wouldn't have been possible without him, but he had taken a part of Phantom to make her. She had developed like one of the never-born, and her initial instability was entirely due to the fact that immature ghosts were inherently unstable. When Phantom reformed, he used the power that only parent ghosts had over their children to reform her.

Of course she was fully capable of taking care of herself, and she had been for a long while now. But the bond went far beyond who was taking care of and providing for who. Her power would probably mirror his, his maturation would affect her and the other way around. He had a much greater responsibility for her than he ever imagined. In a way it was a relief. He no longer had to worry about where she was, what she was doing, whether or not she was in trouble. Now she had a reason to stay.

"So, do you want Jazz's old room?" Dani laughed and cried at the same time.

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His parents would have to wait. Now that they knew he was home and safe, they were just as exhausted as he was. He promised everything would be explained in the morning, and snuck off to see Sam. He called Tucker, just to make sure he didn't feel left out, but Sam would be pissed if he didn't come and see her in person.

Her window was still open, usually a sure sign that she was waiting for him. She sat in her bed, history book open on her lap, but she wasn't reading. She was staring out the window, waiting. Invisible, he snuck in through her window, returning to human form before becoming visible again.

"Danny!" She nearly jumped off the bed to grab him, her shout returning to a whisper just in tie as she remembered her parents lurking somewhere in the house. They would be much less happy to see him than she was. He kissed her immediately, just to get it out of the way before she hit him. Which she did.

"Danny, that was a really stupid thing to do. We were freaking out, did you call Tucker?"

"On the way over. I had to stop to talk to Danielle before I got here. I uh... figured a few things out that I probably should have seen before." He gave her a short version of the story, and Sam was much more understanding than other women probably would have been.

"So are you going to give her a curfew and start pestering her about her grades?" She asked with a smile.

"You say that like I'd actually survive that conversation." He sat down next to her on the bed and kissed her again. "Sam, I have to show you something. When ghosts mature, they have the tendency to change the way they look. And it turns out that I wasn't any different. It's kind of... different. I just wanted to warn you so you wouldn't freak out."

"Danny, I'm not sure you could ever change so much that I would freak out." She responded, but she could hear just the slightest edge of fear in his voice. People weren't like ghosts- they based a lot on the things that they could see. A human being would be much more likely to reject him over something silly like the way he looked.

As far as Sam was concerned, Danny would be enough no matter what he looked like.

But she was crossing her fingers for at least vaguely humanoid.

"Well, here it goes." He said. He stood and the familiar rings appeared. In a flash, Danny Fenton became the Phantom.

And Sam fell off the bed.

"Sorry!" She said immediately, picking herself up and blushing heavily. "I just uh... wasn't expecting that." Danny helped her up, noticing her slight hesitation as he put his hand on her. They sat down on the bed together again, and Sam looked her boyfriend over.

"You're right." She said. "It is different. What happened?"

"A lot." He replied. "Enough that I'm not sure I even know how to explain it all. Maybe I should tell you all tomorrow." She nodded dumbly.

She grown quite accustomed to Danny Phantom. In fact there were times that she considered herself to be dating Phantom more than Fenton. It had never occurred to her that he was going to change. He had changed, a little. Phantom had grown just like Fenton had, but this was radical- different like she hadn't thought he could be. But it was still just Danny.

Well, maybe not. He was more than Just Danny now. She could feel it, just as he must surely have felt it too. But Grandma had been right. He came back better- just like she always knew he would.

"I love you." She blurted out suddenly. She reached up to touch his face, inspecting the exposed jaw and wiring more closely. The more she looked the more natural it seemed to her. "I just would have been nice if you weren't always fifty feet high." They both chuckled. Danny was doomed to be tall, and they'd known it for years.

He pulled her into his lap and held her. It was both odd to feel her against all the features of him that were still foreign, and just right. Subconsciously, he'd always known what he looked like.

"I love you too." He said. "Tomorrow, I'll tell you everything that happened."

¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?

But you will have to wait until next week!

Ha! I'm on time again and I have no idea how I am managing this. Last chapter should be up next friday, but it is a long chapter, so I may be a little bit late. All will be revealed and we finally find out what the hell is going on!

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, and read Malevolence, it has been so much fun writing, and I am genuinely grateful for all of the wonderful feedback and encouragement I've gotten from you.

See you next week!

-TheColorsofSand.


	11. Five Nights at Freddy's

Before we get started on the very last installment, I just want to say how grateful I am for all the reviews, followers, and favorite I got for this story. Every time I got new feed back I was wonderfully inspired to complete this story. Thank you all so much I love you all.

I am undecided about a sequel, I have a lot of school work for this quarter, so I'll think about it for a few weeks and wait till summer. So this fic is now complete. If I do go for a sequel I will post an epilogue to this story as a segue, so don't write it off entirely.

Also, for the fight scene, if you want the music- it's great to listen to while you read head on over to youtube the songs are, in order: "It's Me" by TryHardNinja, "Five More Nights" by J.T. Machima, and "Just Gold" by Mandopony.

Thank you so much again, and please enjoy the last chapter of Malevolence!

Malevolence

chp 11- Five Nights at Freddy's

by: TheColorsofSand

It was Monday. The thought was fairly terrible to him. Six am on a Monday. But at least he'd woken fairly well. Sam lay cuddled next to him in her bed. They had enjoyed their time together, but if he wanted to not be dead for real this time, he needed to be back home before his parents discovered he was missing and her parents discovered he was not.

"Sam, I got to go." He whispered. She groaned a little and snuggled closer to him. It didn't make him want to go any more than he already did, but he knew he had to worm his way out of her bed and back to his own.

"Do you have to?" She said, eyes still closed.

"Yeah." He said quietly. "If your parents find me I'll be dead all the way this time." She chuckled a little bit- because she knew it was true.

"See you at school." It sounded a little bit like a question to him.

"Unfortunately." He responded. "I think I could sleep until this time next year."

"Not without me you couldn't." She cracked one eye open to give him a very serious look, but the effect was ruined by her bedraggled hair and smeared makeup. He smiled at her and nodded.

"I'll see you in a couple hours." He said, and teleported back home.

Dani was in his bed, still, but at least awake and dressed this time. She hugged him when he appeared and he was glad to hug her back. It was weird, really weird. But strangely very right. After all, he was a time-travelling half ghost, master of a collection of psychotic murdering ghosts, apprentice to a ghost some people called the time god, and full time superhero, why couldn't he have a daughter that wasn't really young enough to be his actual daughter slash clone that wasn't really technically a clone created by an evil half-ghost super villain who had the hots for his mom?

It made perfect sense.

"Your parents are waiting for you downstairs. I told them you went to see Sam, I just didn't tell them when you were going to be back."

"Thanks. I'm guessing every one's wondering what happened. Do you feel like hearing a long story?" She nodded, and he lifted her and sat her on his shoulder. "Then let's get downstairs, I think this is going to take a while." He carried her down the stairs rather easily, and the rest of the family was already waiting at the kitchen table. They all had a hug for him again. The last couple of days had been stressful for them as well.

"Don't you have classes today?" He asked Jazz, who shook her head.

"Not today I don't." She said. Danny sat Danielle next to her, and Jack and Maddie looked at him with serious expectation.

"So," Jack said finally, "what happened?" Danny sighed. The road ahead was long, but he didn't have to be at school until nine o'clock.

"A lot has happened actually. And, I think a few things have changed. Do you have time to hear the whole story?" Maddie frowned at him.

"What makes you think you can weasel your way out of telling it to us?" She said. He nodded and sighed.

"I remember what happened at the restaurant... when I was little. In fact, I remember pretty much everything about it. Along with some things that you didn't know."

"Danny, who did that to you?" Jack asked immediately. Danny shook his head.

"It doesn't really matter Dad. He's getting what he deserved for it. He can't hurt anybody else." Jack didn't seemed satisfied with the answer. Maddie and Jazz didn't either. Dani pat him on the arm and seemed to understand. Revenge for a ghost was different than a human being. She understood the finality of those words. The others looked at him, hard, expecting the whole story. And after the week they'd just had, it didn't feel right to deny it to them. He took a deep breath.

"Okay- here it is. You couldn't find me that day in the store because I wasn't there." Jack looked ready to open his mouth, but Danny raised a hand to stop him. "The thing is, I didn't really leave either. When I left you, I went to the back room and through a portal." This time Maddie opened her mouth to speak, but it was a look from Jazz that silenced her. "I know, you can't open portals in that restaurant- that's true. But a very powerful ghost, a ghost like Clockwork can open his own portal through time instead of to the ghost zone. And that's what happened to me. Clockwork opened a portal and I went through.

"What happened to me didn't happen that day- it happened years earlier. It needed to happen while the person who did it was still young- otherwise I would have been killed right away. And it turns out the time-stream needed me to almost die in the restaurant, but not actually die. So Clockwork opened a portal to the past, and after five days he opened one back."

"Why?" This time it was Jazz, and the outrage was rather clear on her face. "Why would he ever do that?" Even Dani looked pretty pissed. Danny sighed again. He made a mental note to watch how he worded the story when he told Sam and Tucker. Throwing his mentor under the bus was probably not the way to get on his good side.

"Because I needed to be trapped in that collection, or else no one would have been able to control it. It's really confusing, but he explained it once- a long time ago. They needed me to be a ghost. The portal accident either would have done nothing to me, or killed me, so they needed something to happen to make me a ghost when I started the portal. Which meant I had to live through something terrible, but not die. I'm not sure what it was they needed me for- after that I was more of a liability, that's why the Observants tried to have me killed for the whole 'Dan Phantom' thing. But Clockwork knew that if he made sure there was something else I had to do afterward- like make sure that berserk collection didn't keep killing people, then he'd have an excuse to keep me around long enough that the Observants couldn't just have me executed for things that might happen later." He was pretty proud of himself for putting it all together. His teacher had only given him the basic outline all those years ago, but saying it out loud let all the pieces slide together.

Pariah Dark. He'd defeated him more or less single handedly. It wasn't long after that the Observants tried to have him killed. Clockwork had saved him from that- and his family. He probably told the Observants all about his trick at the restaurant after they had chastised him for going outside of his set duties. It was as close to a threat as he could casually make. If they killed him, they only destroyed part of Phantom, and the other part...

"Part of my soul stuck in that old suit in the original restaurant. That's where he hid me, thinking that I was already dead. Part of my soul stuck there. That's when the collection started. He'd already killed another kid, a little girl. She was his cousin, I think. And she was special. I am a pretty powerful ghost, but she would have been- incredible. When he started killing people, she attracted them, because she was so lonely. By then I wasn't good company. The suit I used to get around was disabled. That's how the collection started. When we moved to the next location- that's when they... when _we_ started killing the night guards. We had to get rid of him, because when I came back, five nights after I went missing, he had to be dead, or he would kill me anyway.

"It took a lot of years, and a lot of people died before we got it right. But I lived through it. But by then she and the others weren't going to stop. I got them started, but until my soul- both my ghost halves- got together, I couldn't get them to stop. When I accidentally teleported that first time, it was because I was maturing, and it was time to get both sides of me back together. I really did get pulled in, and I really can't leave the collection. What I didn't know was that I could master it. I'm the one that controls it, not the other way around." He spared them the details. Dani and Jazz already knew anyway. He didn't think his parents would appreciate the gruesome details of possessed robots trying to kill him. "So basically, in the course of one week I became a completely different kind of ghost than I was before." Danny paused and waited for his family to catch up. Dani and Jazz seemed to be following so far. But his parents were still a little stuck.

"We looked for you for days." Jack said. "Are you telling me that all the things we did didn't matter at all?"

"Dad, I was the one that brought myself into the backroom. The part of me that was stuck in the restaurant. I... did it to myself, because I knew it had to happen." The look he got from his parents were horrible. Even Dani looked like she couldn't possibly understand. He paused for a moment. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell them everything- it was just hard to separate it in his own brain. He'd achieved convergence. The part of him that had existed in that old deactivated suit was now joined so well with the part of him that had escaped it, that it was hard for him to pick out the bits and pieces that they didn't know.

He looked at them all and realized that they just didn't know he'd changed. Danielle had seen it for herself, but she didn't realize the full extent. He didn't just look different, he wasn't just a different kind of ghost. Phantom was now an entirely different person.

So he started from the beginning.

Catching a glimpse of that crumpled yellow robot that turned out to be himself- following it when it seemed to appear just beyond the next corner, just into the next room. He followed himself backstage and through a portal that he wouldn't recognize until much later. He was unaware that anything unusual happened.

Victor Fasbach found him there, not in 1993, but 1974. For reasons he would probably never understand, he was nearly killed and stuffed into the only operating robot at the time. Fredbear, the yellow suit. He survived for a week inside, feeling that something was close, something friendly. Five nights later, and he went through the portal a second time, was pulled from the suit by another robot- the current Freddy- and deposited in the empty office for safekeeping. At exactly six am the day manager found him, almost dead, huddling under the desk.

But that wasn't everything. Part of him couldn't be separated from old Fredbear, and that was the point. When his physical presence went through the portal, the part left behind gained consciousness. Disconnected, he was angry that he was left alone. It was many years before he understood what had happened to him. He met her for real then. A little girl, the cousin of the man who'd hurt him. The older boy, jealous of the kindness with which her father treated her, jealous of her intelligence and talent, and angry at the world in general made her his first conquest. She lingered, lonely, hoping for someone to find her. She had been an unusual girl, and she was an unusual ghost. She carried a grudge and the ability to carry it out, she just needed a little direction. And he was there to give it to her. Together they began their game- and they were so effective together Victor Fasbach had to fight back.

In the daytime, when he felt safe, moving from the old location to the new one, he hobbled him; pulling the pins from the joints so that the robot could not move without a person inside. It was relatively easy for him to do, seeing as how he and his father had designed and built the suit themselves. When everything had been situated again, he couldn't move. And the real frustration began.

It was an intentional affront to him when the Fredbear suit was used to such a despicable end. He watched young children die just the way he almost did, and could do nothing to stop it. He was so distraught, that she used her immense power to make sure the poor little children didn't leave them. They all ended the same way, so they would all stay together.

When they moved again, he gained no movement, but she did. Her father made the marionette in memory of her, an animatronic he knew she would have loved. She did love it, and regarded it as a gift. Together, with her power, he and the children made sure that they would be safe this time. They made the spirits that inhabited the robots to ensure that the game ended in a timely fashion.

But it didn't, not the way they had intended. He watched a second time, unable to save them. But by now, her power, and his, and grown so great the children could not have escaped even if they had tried. But that was alright, because there little family was growing.

The murders slowed to a halt. Victor was getting too old, after all. But they had grown greater with age, and always would. They were just getting started. Those that fell before them, joined them. And that was fine, because he'd grown to love his little family. And when Clockwork came to visit them, he grew desperate. Because he understood now what had happened to him. Victor Fasbach had to die, or he would.

They doubled their efforts. The dead flocked to them when they made the transition. Their power was like a great magnet that drew them in. Every new soul joined the collection and the guardian spirits became greater and greater. Every night the game began again, and mobile or not, he managed to get around. The frustration was consuming, but he didn't lose sight of the goal.

When it was time, he did what he had to do, the job that had been handed to him by someone he would one day call a friend. It was a vague recollection that made him recognize his old form. And the memory told him what he needed to do. He lured his old self back through the portal, though the effort was immense. But he got his revenge. That night, the culmination of his many years of effort and the participation of his entire family paid off. It was euphoric. It was everything. But by then, his focus had shifted. It was not the revenge against Victor Fasbach that drove him. Because he had family now. And he needed to keep them safe and happy. Little boys and girls, and frightened night guards, and even Victor, looked to him for guidance and protection. Exhausted from the effort of the nights before, he didn't have the energy or desire to put an end to their game.

All he had to do was wait.

Ten years later, to the day, something happened. And fours years after that, he walked through the doors again.

The rest would be history.

Jack, Maddie, and Jazz Fenton stared at him with jaws partially open. They all looked too blank to even have questions. Dani was staring at him too, but her expression was a little different. She had been forced to see hi in a different light before- and she seemed to be catching up a little faster. He was older now than any of them had imagined- and changed in a way they had yet to comprehend. Somewhere, other than before their very eyes, Danny had been growing and changing.

Something dawned in Dani's eyes as she gazed at him. His anger had not been irrational, his desire for revenge nothing more than playful and childish, his obligation to his family the most important obsession. The angry part of him had been split away from him so long ago, that the Phantom they knew developed without it. But the ghostly obsession no earthly ghost could resist, developed suddenly and without prompt. Because it had already developed years ago. And he was just catching up. And though all that, her first coherent thought had nothing to do with anything at all.

"So you're going to tell them that you're my dad next, right?" Her smile was wide as she watched the statement take effect exactly the way it was designed to. The Fenton's mouth snapped shut, as one confusion drifted across each of their faces, followed by a frown, then more confusion, and finally a nervous smile.

"Wait, what?" Jack asked, but Jazz had gone from confusion to happiness. She got out of her chair and hugged Dani tightly.

"Well it's about time he figured it out." She said, and it was Danny's turn to frown.

"Okay, here is the new policy; if you want me to figure something out, just tell me what it is, rather than just watching me flail around like an idiot until I get it, okay?" The look on his parent's face was still fairly confused, so he came to their rescue.

"When ghosts have kids, they don't mate and give birth, at least not usually. They take little parts of themselves and actually can grow them into 'children'. When Vlad made Dani, that was what he did. But he used part of me rather than part of him. I was too young to be able to do it myself, which is why Dani is so special. It's also why she was unstable. Immature ghosts aren't stable either- so the other day when she came to see me, I was a little out of it. I reformed her so that she was stable, I just didn't realize that it would take so much out of her. I was kind of preoccupied." A thought struck him and he groaned immediately, slapping his hand over his eyes.

"Holy crap, I forgot about Valerie! She's going to be so pissed!" Dani covered her mouth in surprise.

"Oh no! With everything that happened I forgot to check on her. She probably thinks you did something horrible to me." She paused and looked at her... father, she supposed. "It's been nice knowing you." She said. Which was probably not far off from the truth. He was going to have to apologize to the Red Huntress. It wasn't going to be pretty. But right now, he had other people to worry about. His mother and father were still absorbing everything. He had spared few details- including his changed appearance and the marking of his territory, something he had previously been putting off. And then tossing in his new status as a ghost-father, he was a little bit afraid that he'd broken his parents.

"Wait, what?" His father asked again. Danny took a deep breath again, and tried to organize his thoughts.

"Look, the point is- a lot has happened. I remember all the things that you wanted me to forget. And I understand why you did what you did. I wish that you had just told me, but I get it. But a lot has changed, and I'm one of those things, so it's going to take some getting used to. I'm sorry that I made this whole mess worse. I should have told you everything right away. And I'm sorry that this happened, and I'm sorry that it's something that I'll have to carry around in front of you. But I'm okay. And I'm going to be okay, even if maybe I'm a little less human today than I was last week. And I hope that you're okay with that too."

Jazz hugged him, tightly and awkwardly. He could hear Dani laughing a little at the scene. It seemed to break the tension. He hugged his sister and turned to his parents, who were looking less confused, but still timid.

"We love you too." Maddie said, but she didn't look ready to let it all go. "Let's just give this some time to straighten out. I think you're right, things have changed- and we might have to change too. But we're going to love you anyway, okay?" He hugged them both too. His father looked sad. But they each had a hug for Danielle as well, and he knew what ever change was coming, it would be fine.

So long as he could take care of them, he didn't have to care about anything else.

But of course he was late for school. He promised Jazz he'd talk to her class, promised Danielle he'd be back in a few hours, and promised his parents he would quit his night job, and it was back to the normalcy of high school.

Rather than rush to his first class, he teleported, being able to do so without fear. He arrived with a few seconds to spare. He felt like a real ghost now, through his first class, his girlfriend and best friend waiting there for him, he could see the things that had changed. The math on the board was not so difficult. The ability of the ghost to _focus_ had increased. He looked at each person in the class and could feel their energy and human signature. 'Maturity' was a very hard concept to grasp, but he could feel the change in his own thinking.

He gave them the whole story at lunch. He shortened it a little, just for the time constraint, but was sure to include the bit about Danielle and his promise to quit his job. Their reaction was rather different than his parent's.

"Well, that would actually explain a lot." Tucker said, shrugging a little. Sam shot him terrible glares, and punched his arm harshly.

"Don't ever try to go get yourself killed like that again." She said, then kissed him, well enough to make Tuck blush. His friends were amazing. They didn't care that he had changed, and they didn't care what he'd had to do to make the change. They just cared that he was safe and back with them. Tucker was still his brother. Sam was still his lover. That much wasn't going to change.

"Thanks guys. My parents were a little bit freaked out. Actually, I think I may have freaked them out a little too much." Things really were going to change, and he was on the fence about it. He was a ghost, he had a home and the ability to take care of himself. But he was also a human being, and he wanted to be with his family like any other human being his age. It was foolish to think that he could always have both.

Maybe his father was right. He was going to have to choose. And the choice was becoming more and more obvious with every passing day. But right now, he wasn't going to solve the problem. Right now he was going to enjoy his new normal. And there was something else he had to take care of.

"Hey guys, I have to go find Valerie. I'll catch up with you later. I'm pretty sure she's going to be pissed at me."

He wasn't wrong. He found Valerie outside the gym, sitting on the floor with two friends he didn't immediately recognize. She had gauze taped to her forehead and a brace on her left wrist. He felt like an ass. He approached carefully, looking sheepish, and when her eyes finally drifted to him he waved at her with an apologetic smile. He didn't have time to say 'hello' because she was on her feet. Her right hook took him right on the jaw, and nearly knocked a tooth loose.

"Okay, I kind of deserved that." He said, hand on his face where she had hit him. She swung again, but he ducked back. It didn't help much though, she kicked his feet out from under him and he went down. Before he had much time to think about it she had stepped on his chest with all her weight. He caught her foot in time to save his ribs, but without just tossing her across the room, she wasn't giving up.

"What in the _hell_ was that about!" She demanded. She was only ten seconds from pulling out a very nasty weapon of questionable nature. Her friends had fled, not willing to be collateral damage.

"Trying... to... apologize..." He ground out.

"Oh you're going to give me more than an apology!" Val shouted.

"I'll tell you everything." He gasped. "I was out of it, I really am sorry. But I need to breath." She glared and leaned down, putting even more weight on him.

"No, I don't think you do." She took her foot off him, but got a kick in the head anyway. He took it as a sign of trust for not tossing her across the room.

He and the Red Huntress had come to a sort of working agreement. She was well aware that he could wipe the floor with her, and trusted him not to. He acknowledged that she was a help more than a hindrance and trusted her to stay that way.

Danny sat up, and slowly climbed to his feet, brushing himself off. Red looked pretty damn pissed, and he didn't blame her for it. He never should have acted that way with her.

"I'm sorry Valerie. I really am. I never should have done that." She was still turned away from him. "Red, I mean it. I was out of it. What you saw was... well, it's me now." She looked at him incredulously.

"I knew that thing was you when I saw it. When you knocked me out of the fucking sky I knew that ecto-blast. What in the hell happened to you?" Her interest now was less than homicidal, and he was grateful for it.

"Ghosts mature after five years or so, and it's kind of a long story about how it actually happened, but long story short- ghosts call it _transformante_ and it happened to me. It was really disorienting, and when you attacked me, I was really just trying to get you out of the way. I didn't realize my own strength." She glared at him, forever sore that she wasn't as strong as he was. The reminder didn't make it any better.

"So you just wanted me 'out of the way'." She hissed. He held up his hands.

"No, I just... am really sorry. I shouldn't have acted that way. I wasn't myself, but I am now. It's not going to happen again." She stared for a long time. He really did like Valerie. Somewhere deep down, he knew he was her friend too. He was the only one that got away with calling her 'Red' she was the only one who got away with calling him 'Spook'. They could work together flawlessly when the time came. Fighting between them was useless and stupid, and they both knew it.

"It's done with." She said, it was more like a demand than a question. Danny nodded.

"Absolutely. I had my little freak out and now it's over."

"Okay. It happens again, and I'll put you in the ground permanently and for real." She said firmly. He nodded.

"I'll let you." He said. "I am sorry." Finally she nodded in ascent. "Were you okay?" She shrugged.

"I needed two stitches, sprained my wrist. I survived." Her eyes widened suddenly. "What did you do to Dani?!" She yelled. His hands went up again.

"She fine, she's just fine, I didn't hurt her." She glared at him, but seemed to trust him. "Actually, what I did needed to happen. She was still unstable- I was finally able to stabilize her. I probably should have waited until after I was more lucid though."

"You didn't hurt her?" He shook his head.

"I would never hurt her- not even if I had to. You know that."

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:

He gave Lancer the short version before class started. The teacher stared at him in amazement, and I finally put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

"Son, it boggles the mind that you have survived for this long, unscathed." Danny just smiled.

"Yeah, I'm pretty amazing." He chuckled. Both men shared a little laugh. Mr. Lancer had stuck with him a lot longer than any other adult besides his parents. And he was grateful for the support.

When class started, he didn't even get a glare that his homework wasn't done. He figured being nearly killed was a pretty good excuse. Halfway through the lecture, however, a twinge at his senses drew his attention away.

Though his territory had finally been claimed, he'd never felt another ghost enter. The feeling was strangely unpleasant for him, and for just half a second he was angry. But the web of power afforded him some insight. He knew this ghost, and identified her immediately as Box Lunch. She was always drawn to stronger ghosts, and didn't know the etiquette involving someone's territory. Of course, he would have let her in anyway- she was only a baby after all. He sighed anyway, he remembered his promise to look after her himself the next time she came to Amity Park. And he really needed to get to her before Val got irritated and went herself.

He made his excuses with Lancer, and flew off to find the little ghost.

Box Lunch had found the local McDonald's. Fortunately she wasn't quite up to the task of making a mess just yet, but she was certainly working up to it. She circled the dumpster with the curiosity of a toddler, poking her head inside- captured by the shape, but put off by the smell. Thankfully, no one had noticed her yet. He floated down beside her, and tapped her gently, she most likely already knew that he was there.

"What are you doing here, Baby?" She turned around and got a good look at him for the first time in a week- a problem that hadn't occurred to him until just then. She took one good look at him and burst into tears.

"Oh Sweetie, it's okay." He took a hold of her and tried to comfort the screaming toddler. He felt like a terrible person. Of course she'd be scared. He was terrifying. She would know his signature, and when she could sense Phantom, but couldn't see Phantom, it wasn't a surprise that she wouldn't be very happy. He brought her to a secluded park to calm her down.

It took several snowballs shaped like boxes, and fifteen minutes or so, but after a while she looked a little harder, and seemed to understand that he was the same Phantom she knew.

"Hanom!" She said at last, and hugged him.

"That's right, Baby, it's me." He bounced her in his arms, and waited for the Box Ghost to come and claim her.

And waited.

It seemed like a long time to let a baby wander around by herself. Even a ghost baby, surely they had realized that she was missing? Perhaps his claim on the territory was scaring him away? He set a slight disturbance at the border- if the Box Ghost got close enough than he would feel the message Phantom wanted to send. In short; 'please come get your baby'. And he waited some more.

Class had ended, his parents were probably worried, and at the school students and parents were beginning to gather to watch the traditional football game at the end of the year- the seniors leaving the team, verses the new members starting the next year. He had forgotten that he, Sam, and Tucker were going to go to that thing. They were probably just getting there, wondering were he was. Ghost attacks had been non-existent after Skulker showed up a few days ago- and now even the Box Ghost was avoiding Amity Park, which was unheard of. Even little Cujo hadn't been around to see him it was like...

Like all the ghosts were afraid of him,

Phantom hadn't really thought that far ahead. If what Clockwork said was true, and it usually was, and he was going to one day be an ancient ghost legend or something, then ghosts fearing his power was something that he was going to have to get used to. He just didn't think all the ghosts who knew him so well could be afraid of him.

Which meant he would have to return Box Lunch himself. Not something so terrible, but he felt a little put out anyway. If he'd tried to breach his territory at all, Box Ghost would have known he didn't have to be afraid. But he'd been too scared to even try. He wasn't sure if he felt bad because he caused a fear great enough it outweighed the love of a child, or if he was was mad because Box Lunch's parents were more concerned about their own safety than their daughter's.

Box Lunch laughed when he opened the portal, which was apparently very funny- and carried her into the ghost zone with him. He had opened the portal a ways away from his own territory in the ghost zone, close to where the Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady had their home. By the time he got her home, Box Lunch was laughing and gurgling happily. Both her parents were terrified.

It took a little bit of explaining, that no, he was not going to tear them apart, and no, he was not going to punish their daughter for trespassing. By the time he left for home, he was pretty sure that they would be willing to pass on the word that he had no plans to take over the world or enslave weaker ghosts or anything like that.

He stopped back at his own lair before going back to FentonWorks. He didn't realize that he missed it until he went home. Lights came up as he entered, and he spent a few more minutes looking around. It contained all the equipment that he used regularly, as well as some of the equipment he would have liked to have but didn't. Part of his lair resembled the restaurant, including the office with was a fair replica, though much cleaner than the original. The security cameras even worked. It was amazing to him how much the restaurant felt like home. Just as much as FentonWorks did to him.

His lair was not what he would have chosen for himself, but it was exactly what he wanted. He just hadn't realized what that was. The bed was far from the door, but he found it easily, and seriously considered curling up in it and falling asleep. It was exactly the right size for his ghost form, as a matter of fact everything was- if Sam or Tucker had been there, everything would have seemed a bit over sized for them. He did tell them weeks ago he'd be there with them to watch the game. He sighed heavily and opened a portal back to Amity Park.

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Valerie didn't hate Phantom. She didn't hate Danny either. It was still a little hard for her to accept that both of them were actually the same person. And the new Phantom... she had to admit that power like that was pretty amazing. And if she had to chose which ghost got it, Phantom was at the top of the list, but it was still a little bit concerning. She could trust him, as much as she didn't really want to admit it, she could trust him. But that didn't mean things weren't going to change.

After all, they changed the other day, didn't they? When he apologized, she believed that he was sorry. Everything he said was the truth. But she wasn't ready to just forgive him entirely. He was going to have to earn that- she was owed some mornings off, and she was going to collect. He also be carrying her books and doing all her heavy lifting right up until her sprain healed.

Her wrist alarm went off again. She checked it, but wasn't terribly concerned. She hadn't had it calibrated to Phantom's new signature yet. She would have to get on that soon, listening to it go off every time Danny got close was going to get irritating very fast. The signature detected was a powerful one- but not quite at the same level as the one she'd detected the other day. The ghost was very powerful, that was for sure, but it wasn't Phantom.

And his signature was nowhere to be found.

She was really going to get her time off now.

People had already begun gathering in the bleachers around the football field. A rather large crowd had turned out for the traditional last game before the seniors graduated. In fact, most of the town had flocked to the school. Making it the perfect time for a ghost to attack- all of the most vulnerable would be in one location. He brought out her suit and hopped on the sled, tracking the source. At another glance, she saw the second signature pop up- not Phantom, but Dani. And judging by the power readout on her wrist, she was going to need the help.

The sky was beginning to darken. It wasn't so late- the sun was sinking, but the darkness was unnatural. Clouds formed above their heads- not a natural storm but unnatural cover that strangled the light and blocked out the sun. She could see the football field in the distance, and the roiling clouds over it. She was suddenly reminded of what Phantom had told her- that he was never stronger than he was over Casper High. Was it the same for other ghosts too? Because this one didn't need the power boost.

She could hear the noise from the crowd occupying the field. People were murmuring, concerned. Others were shouting, some screaming, but no one had run yet. She couldn't help but spare the thought that they were idiots. Hadn't they learned? Just morons hoping to catch a glimpse of Danny, even though a full half of them saw him every day in the hall or the cafeteria. They had grown so used to Phantom showing up to save them they weren't even trying to save their own skins.

When she arrived, Dani was waiting, the teams had stayed off the field, but the crowd still remained, pointing up and Dani and Val. They couldn't see the other ghost, but he was certainly making an entrance, and when he came, they would be ready.

"What is it?" Val shouted. The wind began picking up, the clouds swirled, in the warm early spring the people shivered. Something was very wrong.

"I don't know!" Dani shouted back, trying to be heard over the increasing winds. "Danny said he had to do something, he's not back yet! He should be able to tell when this happens, this town has been claimed!" Val frowned inside her mask. She didn't like the sound of that, but she'd argue about it later. The alarm on her wrist kicked up a notch. She would have a whole lot of trouble admitting it, but having Phantom around right now would be great.

"We need to get it away from the crowd! Try to push it out over the highway!" Dani gave her the thumbs up and they waited for whatever it was to break through. The power levels were high, but not quite what she'd read two days before when she ran into Danny. If it was less powerful than he was, then of course she could handle it. Her pride wouldn't allow her to lose.

She could see Dani tense, just beside her, and a blinding flash of light nearly knocked her out of the sky. Dani whizzed by, tossed, but not in trouble. Then the screaming started.

"_No one's going anywhere_." A powerful voice echoed around them. The scattering crowd scrambled, but a shield had formed over the football field, trapping the spectators and team inside. Valerie grit her teeth. She knew that voice. It was a little different, the timbre off just slightly, intonation a little odd, but that was definitely Phantom's voice.

She hit the shield and just barely recovered, but Dani sailed through easily, then entered again. Valerie didn't think ghosts could construct a shield like that, but she had the feeling this ghost didn't follow a lot of the rules other ghosts followed. She retaliated with a volley of shots before she could even see it clearly. She didn't really care who or what it was- just as long as it was far away from Amity Park. Dani was following suit, sending her ecto-blasts up towards the origin of the initial blast. Below, people were screaming and trying to run, but no one was getting far.

They wouldn't be able to drive him anywhere until they got the shield down. If she couldn't follow the ghost out of it, Dani would have to fight it alone, and with Phantom nowhere to be found, she wasn't going to have an easy time. Of course they were all just fish in a barrel now that they were trapped in a crowd of innocent bystanders. The ghost obviously didn't care about the trapped people, he didn't have to be careful where his shots landed.

Two ecto-blasts shot from the smoke and billowing clouds. They impacted eash of them and sent them hurtling towards the ground. This ghost seemed to know exactly how much power would knock her off the sled, exactly where she was going to aim next. And it had his voice.

"_Hey Valerie. Long time, no see. Did you miss me_?" She turned in mid-air, but it wasn't enough to avoid the blow to her midsection. It hurt like hell, but it slowed her momentum enough that she survived the crash to the ground. Her sled hit just a moment after her. She wasn't in the greatest shape, but at least her jet sled was still working. Dani hit the ground a ways across the field. She was a little more durable though. The ghost laughed was laughing at them, and for the first time they turned to look.

It was the smile she notices first- sharp, sinister, _malevolent_, more in the human sense than ghost. It was evil whatever it was. The black and white and familiar logo was just a mockery of what they'd come to know. This green- skinned ghost was not the Phantom that they knew. Valerie had known, even two days ago when she looked right into his eyes, that Phantom was still there. The one she knew was still there. They packaging had just changed.

But not so with this _thing_. They locked eyes and there was nothing there that she knew. She could hear Dani gasp at the sight of him. Surely she could see it too. It had his voice, it had his power, but I wasn't him. The thought jogged a memory. Wasn't there something about that Danny had told her once? Years ago, when she first found out about him, he mentioned something about a ghost that controlled time. One that had saved him from becoming something terrible.

He had warned her not to believe lies, even if he was the one telling them. If it didn't sound like him, then it might not be. He made it sound like the devil would rise out of hell one day, and he'd look just like him. Maybe that wasn't far from the truth.

Just how many Phantoms was she going to have to fight this week?

Dani took to the air again to engage the ghost. It took Val a few seconds to convince her body to move and get back on the sled, but she refused to be left out of the action. If Danny thought this was only his town, then he was wrong, because it was her town too. And she wasn't going to let some asshole do what ever he wanted to it. The crowd was clearing the field, huddling on top of the bleachers and under them. But so far the ghost did not seem to care about them. Val caught the brief sight of the Fentons attempting to break through the shield from the outside, but they weren't having much luck.

Her gun wasn't really enough, and after her injury she was having trouble even holding it properly. But he seemed far more interested in her than Dani, making her a great distraction. Unfortunately, the sled just wasn't as fast as he was. He knocked her off with a well placed kick to the back, and this time the jet sled hit even harder than she did. She wasn't going back into the air again. And from the throbbing pain, she probably wasn't even going back onto her feet again for a while. Dani lasted a few seconds more, but with an overwhelming volley of ecto-blasts she crashed down beside her.

The implications, frankly, sucked. The whole exchange had lasted less than a minute. Less than a minute to get her ass handed to her in front of the whole town. And now she was going to die in front of the whole town too. She looked up at the ghost and had no doubts that he meant to kill them both. And he might not stop there. Everyone was in danger now, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. Beside her, Danielle struggled to get up, but her energy fizzled out and she changed back to the human girl most were much less used to seeing.

The ghost touched down easily and paced over to them, studying Danielle carefully.

"Well, little Danny has been busy, hasn't he?" He turned to Valerie with those piercing eyes. "I have to say I'm disappointed Valerie. I'd expected a better fight from you. The Valerie I know would never have put up so pathetic a fight." He shrugged casually. "Oh well. Sometimes you just have to accept life's little disappointments. Goodbye Valerie." He raised his hand, and she knew that death glowed between his fingertips. She was strangely not afraid. She had seen the afterlife of those that could not let go- and she had nothing in her life she didn't grasp with everything she had.

Her only regret was poor Dani. She didn't deserve something that cruel. But Dani looked back at her and Val saw the same conviction she had. They did what they needed to do. The thought that she was left with was as odd to her as it was true.

Phantom's going to be pissed.

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Something was wrong. He could feel it. Something hummed in the pit of his stomach, in the back of his throat. A disturbing, angering feeling that he couldn't describe. He closed the portal automatically. He needed to see something first. It felt as though his territory had been breached, but at the same time, it did not feel that way. The feeling disturbed him simply because he didn't know what it meant. But he had the means now to find out.

The scanner in his lair had a range only the size of his territory, by design, but that was all he was concerned about anyway. It took a moment or two to get ready, and another moment to check Amity Park. He could feel it in all his limbs- but he could feel something else too; a calm that he recognized as an old trait. Something he brought from his time not as Phantom, but Golden Freddy. And Freddy knew that charging blindly was more silly than it was brave. Traps were made for those too rash to plan the way- and he set the traps, he didn't fly right into them.

The scanner told him all he needed to know. He didn't recognize the ghost by the readout, but he didn't have to. He knew why he didn't know the feeling. Something had breached his territory, but it felt wrong because it was still part Phantom. His old self was loose. Loose and in his home. Panic rose and then shut down. He wasn't the child that his old self was expecting to fight. He was the elder now, and he was the stronger of the two. His family needed him to protect them.

And _no one_ fucked with his family.

He opened a portal and went through. He recognized the shield below him right away. Not many ghosts could use it, usually most ghosts wouldn't have a reason to. He wouldn't have a problem getting through it. It took half a second to register the situation- the trapped crowed, the utter darkness, the broken jet sled, his friend- valiant but now useless, and his little girl...

'Dan' approached with a blast ready to dissolve them into nothing. Anger like he had never felt before rose and was quashed again. No. That thing wasn't worth hatred and anger so valuable. No, that thing deserved to suffer a different fate, one that he could oversee himself. It was a monster made to destroy, and he already had a monster growing lonely. Those two deserved each other. And Dan would join them like the rest. No one would hurt the ones that were his.

Phantom _shrieked_.

The sound, half ghostly and half robotic targeted the ghost with a narrow beam of destruction. It tore at the ground and threw Dan across the field. The other ghost hit hard, light dissolving in his hands. The winds died as he impacted, and the crowd gasped.

All heads turned to the now visible ghost hovering just above them. For exactly one second they all seemed to mull it over in their minds, then the crowd divided- half shrieking in fear and half cheering. But Phantom had no doubt that they recognized him. And he also had no doubt the cell phone cameras were already rolling.

The lull was long enough for two figure to dash out onto the field and he recognized Sam and Tucker rushing to help Val and Dani. He touched down and changed back, his human visage a little more comforting to the crowd than his new one. He grasped Dani tightly. She groaned in pain, but hugged him back. Tucker was already helping Valerie up.

"Sam, get Dani out of here. Make sure everyone takes shelter the best they can. He's not going to be out long." Sam nodded curtly.

"I can help." Dani wheezed.

"You've done enough." He said. The yellow jacket appeared in his hands and he wrapped it around Dani quickly. "This will help. You make sure Val and Sam and Tucker stay safe, okay?" She nodded as well. Danny had only a second to glance at each of them, and all that could be said, was said.

It didn't matter how or why. This was the greatest test of all, and he was the only one that could do it. He watched them shuffle off the field and into the crowd again. Only five seconds or so had passed, and Dan was climbing to his feet. He looked less than pleased. For a moment they locked eyes.

It was a new feeling- to stare that kind of power in the face. He'd fought plenty of ghosts, many of them rather powerful. But rarely did he know their power when rushing headlong into the fight. Rarely did he stop to look at them and know what they were. Before, he mustered all his strength and beat at that problem over and over again until he'd given it all he had. Then he gave just a little bit more. He grew with every fight, he learned a little more with every punch thrown. Dan had taught him, once, that decisions mattered. That accepting the pain of life made the joy better. He taught him that all he had to do was give just a little bit more, and he could win.

It was a lesson that was good for children to learn. But neither of them where children anymore, and he knew it now for the very first time, and knew it perfectly. There would come a day when giving that extra little bit wouldn't be enough. Because eventually they would stop treating him like a child and the real fight would begin. He was no longer Danny Phantom.

He was The Phantom. And there was nothing left for him to learn from this _thing_. It was time that The Phantom got started, and the world got to know him. And his family.

Dan approached and an evil little smile graced his sharp features. He was angry, he was enraged, but that didn't mean he wasn't pleased with what he saw. A blast formed in his hand, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Phantom didn't give him the chance. He approached as well, the crowd gasping again as the rings appeared and the new Phantom stood before them. Exactly seven feet eight inches high, exposed joints, bare clawed feet, steel claws, and that mechanical, dangerous grin. Malevolence had a face. One with sharp teeth and the golden piercing eyes that were both foreign and familiar.

Sam stared, Tucker stared, Jazz, Jack, and Maddie stared, Lancer stared, a hundred strangers stared, and Dan stared.

Phantom's blast caught Dan still gawking at the unexpected change in his younger self. He picked himself up and opened his mouth, but another powerful blast shut him up quickly.

"Shut up." Phantom said. His voice was a hollow, robotic double echo, that only gradually faded into his own voice. It resonated through the whole place as though he were merely speaking into their ears. "There are only two ways this ends for you- you go back to the tower where you belong and spend the rest of time in your little thermos, or I take you down to pieces. And if you're lucky I'll make sure you get a new little box, instead of getting shredded into nothing." Their eyes locked again.

Phantom knew the answer, just like he knew he had to ask. He let his power flare to add to the threat. It was not to make him choose correctly, only intimidate him. Dan would not come quietly. And staring down the thing that had haunted his most terrible nightmares and fears he came to a conclusion that was both warming and frightening in and of itself.

He was going to win.

Phantom would surely reduce Dan to nothing, and his unstable nature made it unlikely that he would even be absorbed into the collection. He would win so dramatically that it would take little effort on his part. Pariah Dark had caused less fear than the thing before him. Dan had destroyed legendary ghosts. His power was the greatest of any ghost he'd ever fought save for the single ghost king, and his friend Clockwork. And he was going to destroy him with only his own power. Could he be trusted with all this power.

He had done terrible things. Hiding in that old suit that he had come to love instead of hate he had dictated the fate of those that were entirely innocent of wrong doing. He could have stopped the injustice, but he did not. He had accepted it of himself that he had murdered just as surely as the one who had caused him so much pain.

But that was not the whole story. The wisdom the years and the frustration had provided did not stand alone, they stood with the nobility and pride that he had learned later in his life. Perhaps he would not be as good as he once was, but neither would he be as evil. Reality tended to demand a mix of both. He could be trusted with such power. And he owed it to his family to let them show it off just a little bit.

He smirked, that slight movement exposing the hinge of his jaw even further. Dan could see the sharp teeth beneath, and the powerful cross-bar that would enable a strong bite. He smirked right back, but Phantom had already seen the fear flash through his eyes.

Phantom raised one hand, and Dan followed it with his eyes, suspicious. His clouds had darkened the area so much, it was hard to see exactly what was happening. But he did not expect a box to rise from the ground. And not just any box.

A large white box with a big red bow on top.

He laughed, he laughed as it swung open, and he laughed when out popped nothing more than a little blonde girl in a black dress.

"I'm certainly scared now!" He chuckled. The huddling crowd deflated just a little. But Phantom was not terribly concerned. The little girl twirled her blond hair around one finger and inspected her surroundings before turning back to him with a silent smile.

"Mary Annette, I'm giving you twenty minutes." Her open-mouth smile seemed to split her face. She turned to Dan and curtsied dramatically, her black Lolita-style dress swinging with her. She cartwheeled away and disappeared. The stadium lights went out, and they were all left in utter darkness, unable to see. Dan frowned to himself. Left confused by the new development, his plan to hang back and assess had backfired. This new version of himself was not like the old, and he feared he'd lost his chance to gain the quick upper-hand. But a simple change of lighting wasn't going to change anything. Then Phantom's voice rang out again.

"This is your last chance." He said. "She enjoys music, it always entertained her, and she's had nothing but time to come up with some music of her own. Mary Annette is very talented. You can give up now, though she would be very disappointed, or you can see what else she has a talent for. I promise that you won't like it."

"I think it's going to take more than a dark night and a little blond girl to intimidate me."

The music began, piped in through the intercom system and enhanced with the power of the marionette. Dan formed a light in his hand, but it pierced only a few feet in either direction. He regretted the change in the weather now- he hadn't expected it to be used against him so easily.

_Welcome to your office, settle down and take a seat,_

_ Please pay no attention to the terrifying screams._

_ You should heed the warning of the voice that's on the phone,_

_ Tonight you might be by yourself, but you are not alone._

Phantom let the spirits out- Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy had their instructions. He would let the Marionette be as dramatic as she wanted, after all they had been through together she deserved it. It would be the perfect distraction from the real game.

Spot lights flashed on the familiar forms- no longer trapped by the animatronic shells, but free to take a shape a little more intimidating. They had the shapes of animals and robots, exposed joints like himself, metal claws and teeth, and the sinewy movement and piercing eyes of their signature animals. As it turned out, Bonnie and Chica were no less horrifying for being cuddly animals.

His own eyes could see in the dark a little better than Dan's, and he could see him following the animatronics as the lights tracked them for him. They were moving the second the light was off of them, and he knew it. He smirked to himself and teleported- if they were going to play, then he was going to do it right.

Bonnie and Chica were getting closer. He shot at them in the dark, but they were moving quickly. He'd give him the surprise of his life, just like he always did. The music was loud enough to shake the bleachers, in the dark some of the crowd had crawled back up to watch. Phantom wasn't concerned with them at the moment. He'd be keeping his opponent busy. He could feel Mary building up to something, their thoughts were almost connected now, after so long. His smirk became a grin- they thought very much alike.

_There's evil that waits inside-_

_ It's Me_

The spotlight illuminated Phantom, glowing ecto-blast suddenly in his hand, just behind his opponent. The music blared and shook the ground, the blast connected, but only partially, Dan was moving and retaliating quickly. The lights came up just enough to watch them battle for a few seconds. Dan was in for a nasty surprise; their power was not mismatched any longer, Phantom was just as fast as he was, his blasts just a strong, and the ice was not easy to deal with. To leave the field would be sacrificing a potential upper-hand by giving up vulnerable hostages. But the higher they went, the more room he had to maneuver. Phantom seemed slow to follow.

Dan didn't see the strange shape lurking among the stadium lights until it was right in front of him. He understood why Phantom was so slow to follow him over the lights as the horrific mangle of metal and wire, animated flesh and metal teeth attack. It grabbed at him with sharp claws and strong jaws and pushed him towards the ground again. It took an incredible number of shots to dislodge it. Parts broke off and reformed quickly, he punched desperately at one head, but there were two that he had to worry about. He gave up his flight above, and it finally returned to hiding in the lights. It grumbled and growled at him, as though promising every attempt to escape would end the same way.

The lights went out, but the music didn't stop, the song continued. One light popped on and now that he has taken to the sky the others had too. When the rabbit-thing appeared in front of him he found out each would be as vicious as the last one had. It was strong, and though it did not have the same sort of power he did, it's constant assault was over whelming. It took a few blasts to drive it away.

_There's evil that waits inside-_

_ It's me_

Dan turned quickly, but Phantom had appeared in front of him this time, and he took the blast full in the back. He could not escape up, so he dove quickly, trying to put distance between them. The two moved almost with the music, and Phantom could practically hear Her giggle in his head. At least they were all having fun. The lights went down for just a second, and Dan lost track of his tail. But the spotlight on Chica went up, and the terrifying bird jumped up and dragged him to the ground.

He hit hard. He could not use his intangibility to escape them, a well placed blast to the chicken-thing's eye pushed her back a few feet. The others were approaching as he clamored to the air. But the song had ended and the lights went out- for five seconds there was silence.

A music box tune shook the ground. The stadium speakers enhanced to handle the sound. There were both chills and excitement in the crowd, and between the two ghosts. Phantom accepted the music as though he knew it- he could feel what she had in mind, and he was thoroughly enjoying the game.

_Hi kids, do you like violence?_

The other spirits joined them and Dan now had the toys to deal with as well. The spotlights and stadium lights went on and off like a light show. Dan wasn't sure who he should follow, and which lights were important. When they attacked, Phantom hung back to do what he did best; watch.

Dan always hit first. The animatronics were quick, and closed the distance fast. So he used his inability to use intangibility to his advantage and used his fists as his first defense. Once they were far enough back he used his ecto-blasts to drive them away. Feeding on Phantom's power, they reformed the moment they were taken apart. They didn't give him the chance to use the Wail, but he was doing his best to work up to it.

When Foxy attacked he stood his ground before he ran, but always ended up flying away, trying to attack from the rear. He ignored Chica entirely, until she attacked. His left side was unguarded more than his right. He focused his attention on what he couldn't see and ended up at a slight disadvantage to what he could see. The spirits were learning how he fought them. And Phantom was learning even more than that.

_When I come to life _

_ You've got no place to hide_

_ Keep an eye on the time and a light by your side_

When She appeared, the others cleared the way for her. The music and the lighting never skipped a beat. She gave the two of them a spotlight, but this time Dan wasn't laughing.

_You might mistake us for hostile monstrosities_

_ But accidents will happen if you've got a lot of teeth_

She would have been more intimidating as the marionette animatronic, but she remained as the little blonde child. She was rather adorable- but no longer non threatening. He shot an impressive volley at her, but she took great pleasure in artfully dodging each. She was fast- faster than anything he'd fought before, and unlike the spirits, she had power of her own.

Her own blasts were both beautiful and impressive. They silently lofted through the air, and Dan had trouble avoiding them. When he took to the air, she followed. Phantom watched, just as fascinated as the crowd, most of which had climbed out to watch. She was just as beautiful as he knew she would be. She turned in the air so well and so quickly, Dan couldn't keep up. She pushed him just so that Phantom could watch. Together they were forming a plan.

Dan was having a hard time. He came with the intention of obliterating everything his 'old' self had become. He didn't know what he had become, and he came to an understanding slowly but surely- he'd fallen into a trap. And not Phantom's trap. Of course Clockwork had meddled again, he never should have believed that he could escape so easily without Clockwork looking the other way. He was a test for whatever the hell his other self had become.

And he wasn't so sure that he could win anymore.

She danced as she fought with him, and he wasn't laughing at the little girl anymore. He wasn't sure what the hell she was, but she was something different. The music ended again, and she drifted down, setting her feet daintily on the ground.

For a moment the lights came on, and everything was silent. The animatronics were still, gazing up at Dan- hovering above them. Even in the crowd, there was silence. Dan wasn't sure what was going on, but he, like Phantom, could feel the static rising. A portal was opening.

Just above them a large portal opened almost silently, and from the depths of the ghost-zone twelve Observants came quietly through. The crowd gasped and murmured, Dan tensed for a fight. The Marionette only giggled. They watched, but did not speak, and Phantom seemed to understand.

They were invested, and it was their job to witness.

The implications were staggering. The power he had, he knew was great, but he didn't know just how great it was. His Mary was grinning proudly. He could almost hear her ask how proud he was to be so important. She made them all as powerful they were, and it was She that should be proud. Phantom made the silent promise to use her power wisely.

But if the Observants had come to watch then it was time to end this. Her time would be cut a little short, but she understood the plan had changed. She turned first to Dan and curtsied, then did the same to the Observants. She disappeared and the lights went out. Someone in the crowd screamed, taken by surprise. The eerie glow of the open portal illuminated the Observants just enough that they stood out in the darkness.

The music began.

_Time for the main attraction, the story must be told_

_ Time for a chain reaction that never gets old_

_ Some bots get satisfaction breaking the mold_

_ Some bots are just distractions_

_ Some bots are _

_ Just Gold._

Both Phantom and Dan got a spotlight, and Dan pulled out all the stops, this wasn't going to end the way he wanted, but perhaps it wouldn't end the way Phantom wanted either. But Phantom wasn't alone. The spirits came at him from all directions, and between them all he couldn't keep it straight. When he headed for the portal, the Mangle stopped him cold in the air.

He was getting desperate.

_In the beginning I kept a keen eye on the state of affairs with the new guy_

_ Now I've got a new gig..._

Foxy came out the darkness and latched on to him. Between the Mangle and Foxy, Phantom had already one. Over the music they could hear the Marionette giggle.

"_Pull him apart_." The two spirits pulled, and Dan screamed. They dragged the conglomerate ghost apart with a disgusting wet noise. People covered their ears to block out the screaming. Dan gave way and the one ghost pulled apart into two;

a screaming, distorted Phantom in Mangle's jaws, and a twisted Plasmius in Foxy's.

Phantom would have taken them into the collection, but seeing their incomplete state, he knew it would be impossible. They were too unstable. The robots descended on them.

_You are the main attraction, your story must be told_

_ You are the chain reaction that never gets old_

_ Some bots get satisfaction breaking the mold_

_ Some bots are just distraction, some bots are_

_ Just Gold_

The screaming didn't last long. The spirits, delighted to be useful tore the fractured ghosts apart. Too unstable to be captured in the collection, they dissolved under the strength of the animatronics.

The lights went out, the music stopped.

One by one, the Observants returned through the portal. And in his tower, Clockwork smiled, because the Phantom that he knew had come at last.

The clouds dissolved and whisped away. And in the dim light of the sunset, the collection was gone, and only plain old Danny Fenton remained.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:

The town remained divided.

Those that had always known, still thought of him as a hero, but others were swayed by the graphic display of violence. Phantom still had to visit Terry Booker's family- but after the incident, he would give them some time. He took Valerie to the hospital himself, but judging by her mouth, she'd recover quickly. Dani had already recovered. His parents, however, were still having a little trouble. Jazz demanded he speak to her professor. The video of the fifteen or so minute fight as already up on youtube.

And all within twenty minutes of the fight.

But Danny needed to think, and he needed to make sure he hadn't ruined his life over his alternate self. He kissed his girlfriend, and his daughter, and went back to Clockwork's tower.

"It's good to see you looking like yourself, Phantom." Clockwork said. The screens in his room where all displaying various outcomes of the fight he'd just survived. He wasn't even winded. The fight was nothing more than his slow torture of someone he hated- he was both guilty and satisfied over the outcome. Dan deserved what he got, but that didn't mean Phantom was the one that got to punish him.

"I take it I have you to thank for all this." He said, indicating the displaying fight. Clockwork nodded.

"You needed the experience. You needed to see what you had become. All and all, I think you've become exactly what we needed." Phantom looked down at his strange hands and sighed.

"I thought I was getting arrested again. I didn't know I was... important." He scrubbed his face and sat down. Tired more from experience than exertion.

"They will be calling on you again. They are afraid- and it makes them aggressive. But what they'll ask of you is exactly what you need."

"What am I going to do?" Phantom asked suddenly. "Everything was fine before... I just didn't realize I was..."

"Exactly what you were supposed to be?" The thought shut him up. When he was fighting he had no doubts, no thoughts to what anyone would think about what they saw. Everything he did was just how it was supposed to be done.

But his human side was not so sure. They were the same, truly they were, but how could their lives coincide after what he'd just shown the world? Clockwork put a hand on his shoulder, but he was smiling that devious sort of smile that was both comforting and disturbing.

"She doesn't care, Phantom. All of the girls in you life are now more attached to you than they were before." The thought made Phantom smile. On the screens all around him he could see each of them as they watched the fight- and it was not fear on their faces. They saw the new Phantom for exactly what he was.

And not one of them regretted it.

"Thank you. I needed to hear that." For a moment they sat in silence, and Danny knew that it was time to go home, and start over again. His trial was more or less over- now it was time to fit the pieces back together.

The Phantom didn't have a teacher, but a friend, in Clockwork. He trusted every word he spoke as law. This would not be the last time they had words of comfort for one another. Phantom promised to be back soon, and went home.

He'd have more work ahead of him, but for now, he didn't need to know. Clockwork watched him travel back to Amity Park where a short trial would await him. He'd dealt with it all before, and despite some awkward moments, he would recover. Doubters or no, Phantom was good for that place, and people would eventually see it.

The trapped ghost would bide his time. The box that kept him bound would not be enough to hold him forever. The collection was complete, but the Phantom still had one or two lessons to learn from it.

"Be careful my friend. He'll come back, he always does."

~End Malevolence~


	12. Evil

Here it is everyone- preview to the sequel of _Malevolence_.

To those who live in the Spokane Washington area, Dan Phantasm and I will be attending Kuroneko Con 2015 this weekend- I'll be cosplaying a security guard and Dan will be hosting Fandom Feud on Sunday! So if you're around come up and say hello. We will be posting pictures from the con on my facebook page- just search 'TheColorsof Sand'

The sequel's first chapter in full should be up tomorrow 7/31. Until then enjoy-

_Evil_

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"_The Phantom_." The voice of the Council head boomed throughout the Council Room. Its single eye stared him down. The eyes of the entire Observant's Council glared down at him, as he stood in the center of the Council Room, far below the judgement of the high-seated council. Behind him, seven of the Ancients blocked the door, six hovered just beneath the Council head.

A normal ghost would have been intimidated- scared shitless in many cases. But Phantom was not a normal ghost. What struck him wasn't the intimidation technique, but the name they had used. Arrested for the first time, they had used his name 'Daniel James Fenton'. But now they used his _real_ name- the one he earned only a few weeks ago. It was just a little odd that they had thought to use the 'the' part of 'The Phantom'. He wasn't sure if they really expected him to say anything, but he felt his long stare back was answer enough. He wasn't intimidated- he knew as well as they did that in an all-out brawl against the ancients, he probably wouldn't win. But in a fight like that there wouldn't really be any winners at all. Not so long ago the Observants were a little frightening, but now the fear had faded away.

"Do you know why you have been brought before us?"

"I have a pretty good idea." Phantom responded without hesitation. The mechanical double-echo of his voice had faded to a slight edge. The glare of the council intensified, but he bore it and met the glare of the council head directly.

"We are here to determine whether you shall face charges of…"

"Existing?" The pressure in the room intensified, but he was not cowed.

"The council has convened to discuss your rather serious transgressions."

"We both know why I'm here- why don't we just cut to the chase?" A few voices murmured from all around the council seating. They were not exactly kind murmurs. "You're afraid of me." Phantom said boldly, the mechanical undertones of his voice grating. The stunned and angered looks in the single eyes of each Observant told him he'd hit the nail on the head. Interference in the land of the living was, at times, a serious offense. But he had proven his right to pass between the worlds.

The ancient ghosts tensed, readying themselves. As one, the entirety of the Observant's council stood, hovering high above him. They were silent suddenly, their collective consciousness snapping into place at his veiled threat.

But The Phantom knew what to do. It wasn't something that he wanted, but his mentor and friend Clockwork knew best. The claiming of his territory turned heads and drew eyes, and his battle with his alternate self heralded a new age. The dead and the never-born could no longer hide from the living. It hadn't been his intention, but Clockwork claimed everything had happened as it was supposed to happen. So the next step was necessary.

"I submit to the authority of the council." He bowed low to the council head, and for a few moments all was visibly tense.

Clockwork had submitted to the rule of the council when it was formed. It was a show of faith to the rest of the ghost zone. Pariah Dark did not. Clockwork knew better than anyone just how much the council feared another Pariah Dark, and saw the potential in Phantom.

"Y… you submit?" Phantom pulled himself up to his full height, and nodded briefly.

"I do." The council all looked around at each other, at a complete loss for words. Clockwork submitted only after days of debate. Pariah Dark almost destroyed the building. Most ghosts summoned before the council needed either cajoling, or at times, imprisonment before submitting; or needed to be picked up off the floor. Phantom managed to floor the council instead.

"Well, good." The council head said, stuttering a little. The rest of the Observants sat back down awkwardly. "As for the charges…" Phantom fixed him with a glare, and even the confused ancients seemed to shrivel just a little. "You have, I suppose a right to interfere among the living." He cleared his throat, and returned to his seat. The looks shooting across the room made him think that they suddenly no longer had anything to talk about.

"Now as for the conditions under which I submit…"


End file.
